


Pins and Theatre Rehearsals

by milkshakyu



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Theatre, Angst, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, M/M, Minor Injuries, Slow Burn, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:21:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 31,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29172579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milkshakyu/pseuds/milkshakyu
Summary: Where Jisung gets into the theatre club without knowing anything about theatre just because he wants to get close to his crush, but ends up getting a lot more than he initially wished for.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Park Jisung
Comments: 22
Kudos: 69
Collections: Chenji + '00





	Pins and Theatre Rehearsals

Theatre was never something appealing to Jisung. Not that he didn’t like it. He simply never took any interest in it.

Perhaps unknowingly he had distanced himself from anything related to theatre because he had created this idea that theatre kids were part of a strange sub species of humanity that was fundamentally different from the rest of them.

If he was wrong to assume so? Well, that’s debatable.

Every now or then, when he would stride down the hallway by the drama room he couldn’t help but flinch at the sudden boisterous outbreak of dozens of voices singing an entire musical soundtrack, making him wonder how it was possible for them to project their voices like that.

Jisung also believed they talked in a whole different language with each other, as he could never understand any of the conversations he would accidentally overhear in the cafeteria during lunch break, though that might be because they would melodically speak to one another and throw random musical references in the middle of the conversation.

Besides that, he would find himself secretly judging their styling choices as well, their clothes always so eccentric he could never really tell if they were strolling around wearing their own clothing or a costume for one of the plays. At the same time he quietly admired their ability to not give a single shit about what others thought about them, occupying themselves with being true to who they were, no matter what.

Jisung saw them as undoubtedly different from typical students in the way that they were remarkably passionate about what they did. From an outside perspective such as his own, all their interests were so related to theatre and musicals that they seemed to have quite a hard time integrating themselves with the rest of the school society, always seen as outcasts.

Because he didn’t share the same love for theatre and all that is directly associated with it, he never felt the need to talk to them and try to know them besides what he could see. Never tried to find out if any of the stereotypes surrounding them were true or not.

So, it is rather intriguing how he is currently standing in front of the auditorium door that is home to the drama club, nervously shifting the weight of his body from one foot to the other while crutching the drama club flyer on his hands that had been given to him last week during the club fair.

Was he making a mistake by doing this? After all, his knowledge about theatre didn’t go much further than having seen a couple of plays as a child that he could no longer recall and the last semester spring play after Renjun had practically implored him and Chenle to go see the first theatre production he had participated in since joining college.

Jisung and Chenle had been ready to make up some excuse not to go see the play, but Renjun’s persuasive tactics were infallible whenever he wanted something and it didn’t take much for them to give in to his request.

If there was ever a time Jisung had been thankful for Renjun’s persistence, it had been that day.

He had thought that, because it was a college play, it would have a low budget and the acting wouldn’t be anything serious, so he wasn’t going in with a lot of expectations.

He can now confirm, though, that the feeling of going to see something without any expectations, only to have your mind blown, is one of the best feelings in the world.

The play was good, the overall storyline greatly defined and well delivered by the actors and the sets were well designed and beautifully decorated. The outfits were vibrant and during the dance scenes where everyone would join in and do the vivacious choreography, the stage would be taken by an explosion of colour and energy that even made Jisung tap his foot to the rhythm of the joyful songs.

But the main reason as to why Jisung is now having an internal debate with himself about whether or not to enter the auditorium in front of him is not because of how good the last semester’s play was, nor is it because one of his best friends is part of the club.

In good old fashion, it is all because of a crush.

From the moment the heavy crimson curtains had parted and the spotlight had fallen over the slender figure of a pink-haired boy, illuminating his angelic features and enhancing his breathtaking smile, Jisung’s gaze stayed glued to him throughout the whole play.

He remembers sitting up straighter in his seat, his jaw open ajar at the sight, his eyes refusing to leave the boy, admiring his unfair and enviable beauty. Jisung still envisions perfectly in his mind the way he moved across the stage, the confidence and assertiveness with which he carried himself and delivered his lines effortlessly and naturally like performing was the sole reason for his existence.

Jisung feels himself melt at the memory of his honey-like voice and how the song he sang for his solo seemed to be made exclusively for him.

He still recalls how surprised Chenle and Renjun were when he jumped to his feet and clapped loudly as the boy took a step forward and bowed to the audience at the end of the play.

After that day, the turf of fluffy pink hair and that wide open-mouthed smile, displaying an annoyingly perfect line of white teeth became a constant in Jisung’s dreams and the song he had heard him sing during the play soon found itself in Jisung’s playlist, being played over and over again, until Renjun surprised him one day with a recording of one of the rehearsals in which Jaemin (apparently the boy’s name) sang his version of it. Needless to say Jisung was in ecstasy and Chenle had to literally peel him off Renjun, scared he was going to crush him with his bear hug.

Suddenly, Jisung is brought to the present by a heavy weight colliding with his back. Certainly not expecting it, he loses his balance and stumbles forward, his head centimetres away from hitting the auditorium door before a firm hand grabs his shoulder and pulls him back.

Jisung brings a hand to his chest, feeling his heart beating at an abnormal speed against his fingers. As he recovers from the fright, he chances a glance at whoever bumped into him, finding a boy seemingly older than him, pretty much Jisung’s height. The dark brown hair covering his eyes is perhaps the reason as to why he had almost walked through Jisung.

“Oh, shoot! I’m so sorry. I did not see you there.” He quickly apologizes and looks at Jisung worriedly. “Are you okay?” He asks, his hand still resting on Jisung’s shoulder.

Jisung nods at the question. “Yeah, I’m fine.” And the hand falls from his shoulder, going to adjust the strap of the boy’s backpack that had slid down his arm at the collision.

“I’m glad.” The boy smiles, relieved. “I wasn’t expecting someone to be admiring the wooden door of the auditorium.” He jokes lightly and his eyes travel to the piece of paper Jisung’s holding, recognition and understanding flashing on his face. “Oh, I get it now. You’re thinking about going to today’s meeting.” Jisung nods again and there’s a hint of curiosity playing on the boy’s eyes, a silent question of why he is so hesitant to enter the room.

“I don’t know if I should go.” Jisung admits and lowers his head to inspect the flyer once more. “I don’t know much about theatre and I have a hunch that my acting skills are not so good, but...” _my crush is in the drama club and I reckon if I want to get close to him and hear that beautiful voice of his again,I have to join as well_ , he wants to say but chooses against it. He knows just how whipped he would have sounded if he said it out loud.

As it looks, he didn’t even need to.

“Someone you like is a member of the club.” The boy finishes for him and Jisung’s eyes widen, being unable to hide his surprise. The boy laughs at his astonished expression and answers the question Jisung hasn’t even had time to ask yet. “It is not the first time it happens.” He says casually. “When you have Donghyuck Lee, the university’s basketball star, as a member of your club, there are bound to be people wishing to enter the club just to get close to him.” Then he lowers his voice and his lips curl into a cheeky grin. “Are you interested in him as well?”

Jisung shakes his head. His knowledge of sports does not go far beyond what he knows about theatre, so he has absolutely no idea who Donghyuck Lee is. He remains silent, perfectly aware of the boy’s curious stare, who is quietly anticipating a name. When Jisung does nothing to satisfy his curiosity, he shrugs and lets it go, much for Jisung’s relief.

“If you wish to join the drama club I would recommend you know at least the minimum about theatre, so make sure you do a little research before you speak with Doyoung. He always asks you the reason why you want to join the club when he evaluates who might be a new addition to it, so remember to make up a good and convincing reasoning.” Jisung assents as he listens. “You don’t need to worry about acting, though. There are other ways you can get in without having any acting skills.”

The last part piqued Jisung’s interest, his brows furrowed in confusion. “How?”

“It’s actually pretty simple. I am part of the technical crew, more specifically the light crew, so my job revolves around knowing how to operate lights and so on. Since a few members of the tech crew graduated last semester, there are some available positions this time around. If you really want to join, I reckon you should try going for them.” He gives him a small pat in the back to serve as encouragement, a soft grin on his face.

Jisung hadn’t thought about the possibility of only working backstage, which is rather embarrassing given that that was exactly what Renjun did as he was in charge of painting the play’s sets. For some reason all parts of the pre-production of the play didn’t even cross his mind. Jisung laughs at his stupidity when he realizes that most certainly the aim of today’s meeting is to inform which stage crew positions are available for those wanting to join.

If it wasn’t for the stranger beside him, he probably would have inspected the whole script for the character with the least lines, taken his shot and auditioned for its role. He can still do so, if he doesn’t find himself a suitable position in the tech crew, but at least now he is aware of other possible roles that don’t involve him having to summon his inner actor (if he even has one).

He looks at the boy once again, wanting to thank him for the valuable information when he notices he still doesn’t know his name. “Thank you for telling me that. I’m Jisung, by the way.” He introduces himself while offering out a hand for him to shake.

“It’s no problem, and I’m Jeno.” He takes Jisung’s hand and smiles, his eyes completely disappearing with the action, being replaced by two crescent moons. “What do you say, we enter together?”

Jisung nods and follows Jeno inside the auditorium, crumpling the piece of paper in his hands and shoving it inside his pocket.

Inside, there are already a few people occupying the front seats and chatting with each other while waiting for the meeting to start. As both of them make their way down to join the rest, Jeno explains how the meeting works and what Jisung can expect from it. He learns that the teacher assistants, Taeyong and Doyoung, will be giving a quick presentation of the club and explaining briefly each of its departments to those who, just like Jisung, are thinking about joining.

“It’s something they do at the beginning of each year. It used to be exclusively for potential new members, but I think I heard Doyoung talk about how he wanted them to feel, right off the bat, what the true atmosphere of the drama club was and so, now these meetings are done here in the auditorium with the whole theatre crew. He always announces the theme of the play and gives everyone a first draft of the script for us to read before the play readings and auditions start. At the end, he usually gives a small backstage tour to the ones interested in joining and talks with them to see if they are thinking about being permanently part of the club or if they just happen to want to act in that semester’s play, no strings attached.”

Jisung whistles appreciatively, definitely impressed by their level of organization, given that he thought getting in the club was far simpler. “Are all the other clubs as well organized as this one? It sounds very professional.”

Jeno chuckles. “That’s the perks of having Doyoung. You will never meet someone as committed to his job as he is. He goes out of his way to make sure everything befalls smoothly and he pours his heart in every single thing he does. Theatre is his passion.” The way Jeno talks about Doyoung with so much admiration and fondness only makes Jisung eager to meet him. He tries to rummage through his mind for any mention of the TA that Renjun may have made in the past, but his mind is clouded by the name of Renjun’s boyfriend instead, since he would never shut up about him.

As they come closer to the end of the stairs and to the stage, Jeno heads toward the centre of the third row, eyeing the two seats right behind a group of students that seem far too familiarized with their surroundings to be new. Jisung follows suit. “In all honesty, other clubs have far more formal admission processes than ours, with interviews and challenges but they don’t always apply to every club and in our case, there just aren’t that many requirements. You really just need to know the minimum and you’ll be fine.”

Jisung nods at that, already taking note in his head to do some research about theatre when he gets to the dorm.

When Jeno finally stops and sits down on one of the velvet seats, Jisung copies him and watches as Jeno greets both girls in front of them with a warm smile.

“Hey Jeno, how were the summer holidays?” One of them asks conversationally and her eyes twinkle with interest when she notices Jisung. “Oh, who is your friend?”

“The holidays were okay, though they flew by too fast.” Jeno declares and the other girl sighs and throws her head back on her seat, muttering a _Don’t they always?_. They all hum in agreement and Jisung thinks back to how the past months had gone by in the blink of an eye and how busy he had been with his preparation for college, which in itself was already exciting without the prospect of seeing Jaemin again and possibly speaking with him. That thought had been living in his mind for longer than he would like to admit and had him anticipating the start of classes with way more intensity than he probably should have. He refocuses on Jeno when he motions toward him and announces, “And this is Jisung. He’s thinking about joining us.”

“That’s lovely! I hope you enjoy today’s meeting and like the club enough to stay.” The first girl smiles sympathetically and presents herself. “I am Yeji and this is Jisu.” The girl beside her waves at Jisung with a small smile which he returns shyly. “Will you be joining as a techie or as an actor?” Yeji tilts her head, looking at him expectantly, probably wanting to see whether they’ll belong to the same crew or not.

“Hum..I haven’t decided yet. I’m still pretty new to all this theatre stuff so I think I am relying on this meeting to make up my mind about joining.” Jisung mumbles, suddenly feeling a little out of place as more people enter the auditorium chatting with their friends. He looks around trying to see if Renjun has come in yet but as his eyes wander around, he momentarily forgets about him, instead trying to catch sight of a familiar pink hair. When he doesn’t spot either of them, he turns his gaze to the front once again, finding Jeno’s eyes staring at him.

He has a teasing smirk on his face when he asks “Are you looking for someone?”

“If it is Donghyuck I better inform you he’s always the last one to arrive.” Jisu tells him and then adds in a lower tone. “It drives Doyoung insane every time.”

“No, no. I am not interested in Donghyuck.” Jisung is quick to explain. “I was just checking if my friend was here yet.” Which is technically not a lie as that was his first intention, though a certain someone may have distracted him from continuing his search for Renjun.

“Who’s your friend?” Jeno arcs one eyebrow at him, probably assuming he knew no one since he had found him all alone.

“Renjun.” Jisung supplies simply, hoping that is enough for them to know who he is talking about.

“Yuna’s friend.” Jisu easily makes the connection as she nods at the name while Yeji gazes into nothingness, trying to match it to a face. Jisung startles as she snaps her fingers when it finally comes to her, exclaiming a little loudly. “Yes, the one who painted that beautiful night sky set for the play last semester. That was my favourite set. He’s really talented.” She compliments and Jisung can’t help but feel his chest fill with pride. Chenle and him may not always know how to interpret Renjun’s art pieces but they can’t deny their best friend’s innate talent and knowing how much he loves painting, it makes Jisung feel warmer whenever someone praises him and his work.

“He is my roommate’s boyfriend.” Jeno states in a surprised tone. “I saw him a bunch of times last semester after they started dating.” Then, he narrows his eyes, trying to remember something and when the light bulb on top of his head lights up, a hint of recognition appears on his face. “Now that I think about it, he did mention your name and how you were applying here with another friend. I did not get to know whether you had got in or not.”

Jisung shrugs and waves one of his hands around as he takes a look at their surroundings. “Well, here I am.”

“There you are!” A voice suddenly calls from behind him and when he turns to see who it is, he is faced with Renjun walking to them, hand in hand with who Jisung assumes to be his boyfriend, and according to fresh information, Jeno’s roommate as well. “I never thought you were actually serious about joining the club.” Renjun confesses as he sits down next to him and greets everyone else. “I thought you were just bluffing like all those other times. Jisung, you know _nothing_ about theatre.”

Jisung groans and sinks into his seat. He is perfectly aware of that detail but hearing Renjun say it out loud just like that and exposing him in front of the other club members is incredibly embarrassing and for a brief moment he considers standing up and leaving while he still has time, but then he sees _him_.

His brain seems to shut down as his eyes land on him. Everything gets pushed to the background as he watches Jaemin trail behind a girl who takes a seat beside Yeji.

It is his first time seeing him up close and he can confidently say that his memory of Jaemin did not do him enough justice.

For a long time after the play and when Jisung’s mind reached a point in which it didn’t seem to have space for anything else that wasn’t Jaemin, the thought of him having fallen for the character Jaemin was portraying rather than for the boy himself, had begun to form. It was unlike him to develop crushes after only seeing a person once, let alone do so without having exchanged any kind of words with said person. Something in him wanted to deny such a crush and find ways that could possibly explain why Jaemin was now living rent-free in his head and kept inviting himself onto every dream Jisung would have.

He tried to rationalize that he had been mesmerized by the lines Jaemin had delivered and the emotion each and every word he said, carried. Those words weren’t his own creation and as an actor, he had to put himself into his character’s shoes and act accordingly to how he would be feeling and thinking. His actions were dictated by the way his character would perceive the world around him and by the influence that previous experiences, good and bad, had on him. On stage an actor should strip themselves of who they are, forget their own life for a short amount of time and dive in this new one that has been handed to them.

Acting should be about spectators seeing and connecting with the characters the actors and actresses are embracing. Most of the time, the characters couldn’t be more different from the ones bringing them to life. Divergent values and morals, clashing personalities, dissimilar attitudes and actions are real challenges that actors face in order to embody their characters and that is why, those who can distinguish their own selves from the ones they must interpret, are the ones bringing the best performances.

Following this trail of thought, could Jisung really say he was crushing on Jaemin? Or was he enamoured by the person he saw on stage, by the way he thought and looked at the world? Would there be similarities between the two? Or was Jisung doomed for having fallen for someone who wasn’t real?

These had been the questions swimming in Jisung’s mind for the past days. The possibility of seeing Jaemin again and getting to know him both thrilled and terrified him in equal amounts, for he feared his expectations would not match reality.

Now, with Jaemin in the row in front of him, two seats away from where he is, Jisung’s heart has never beaten more frantically in his life. People say things are more beautiful seen from afar as that way you won’t be able to see their flaws so clearly. Jisung, however, has to disagree. Because Jaemin’s beauty is unlike anything he has ever seen, his sharp, yet angelical features glowing more under a poorly lit auditorium, than under a spotlight on a stage. Up close, he is breathtaking, his look unblemished as if he has been minutely sketched by the finest artists.

Jisung is aware of the way his mind is painting Jaemin as a god, most definitely exaggerating his good looks, but he lets it carry on. Allows his eyes to stare at the boy and take in every single detail he can pinpoint, erasing the picture he had of Jaemin in his mind and instead, replacing it with this far more beautiful one that shows the real Jaemin Jisung itches to know.

It certainly sounds superficial, but looking at him now, Jisung no longer cares who Jaemin is. As he observes him talking with the girl he came with and watches the lazy smile on his face, Jisung’s desire to approach him only grows stronger. Then, Jaemin adverts his attention away from the girl and takes his time searching the crowd of students that has been getting bigger and bigger as the time scheduled for the meeting to start nears. His eyes travel the auditorium, much like Jisung’s had a few minutes before, his head turning to the door as a new group of voices add to the multiple chattering evolving the auditorium.

It doesn’t take longer than a mere seconds, but Jisung swears he feels time slows down when their eyes meet. His first reaction is to suck in a breath and he gets a little disoriented when Jaemin shows him a polite smile before looking back to the front. His second reaction is to tell his body how to breathe once again, at the same time as he tries not to make a scene.

Thankfully, Renjun is far too entranced in his boyfriend to notice his attempts to contain a squeal but the same thing cannot be said for Jeno, whose stare is boring a hole on the side of Jisung’s head.

“So, it is Jaemin.” Jeno whispers in his ear and Jisung snaps his head in his direction, finding him smiling cheekily. “The acting prodigy.”

Even though it is useless, Jisung can’t help but pretend like he doesn’t know what he is talking about. “Who?”

Jeno rolls his eyes and nudges his arm. “The boy you have been not so subtly admiring and that almost caused you to have a heart attack just now.”

Jeno’s teasing expression makes Jisung want to hide. How obvious had he been that a complete stranger already found out about his crush? If he wasn’t blushing before, he is pretty sure his cheeks must be red right now, for he has never felt more embarrassed.

As if they heard Jisung’s prayers, Doyoung and Taeyong step into the stage at that moment, asking for everyone to take a seat so that they can initiate the meeting. Jisung adjusts himself in his seat and inhales slowly, then exhales steadily. He shakes his head in an attempt to clear his head of the hundreds of different thoughts running through it and focuses on the two men on stage.

He manages to concentrate on what they are saying long enough to feel proud of himself, mentally patting himself on the back for drowning the voice on the back of his head that tells him to tear his eyes from the two TAs and direct them to the boy seating just one row ahead.

Such effort, however, gets thrown out of the window when ten minutes into the meeting the auditorium door slams open against the wall and down the stairs, darts a panting boy murmuring some kind of apology for being late.

Beside Jisung, Renjun snorts and shakes his head while on stage, Doyoung’s face is contorted in a mix of exasperation and anger, his eyes blazing with rage. By the reaction of the rest of the club members, Jisung deduces this is a regular occurrence and just as he figures out who the boy might be, Jisu turns her head and confirms his suspicion “That’s him.” She whispers. “Donghyuck Lee.”

Doyoung opens his mouth to say something, definitely reprimand him for not being on time, but Taeyong places a hand on his arm and gives him a look as to ask him to let it pass for now and deal with it later. Doyoung’s frown doesn’t cease, but he takes a deep breath and simply orders Donghyuck to take a seat as fast as he can. Jisung is stunned by the sternness in his voice and the contrast with the warmness with which he was presenting the club just moments before. It makes him want to never get on Doyoung’s bad side.

Out of all available seats Donghyuck can choose, he ends up taking the one next to Jaemin, which is miraculously still unoccupied. Just that, is more than enough for Jisung to pay no attention to the rest of the meeting.

His eyes are glued to the two of them for the whole duration of it, observing how Donghyuck leans in slightly to whisper something to Jaemin from time to time, who either only nods at him or mumbles a short answer back. From only that, Jisung can tell how talkative and sociable Donghyuck is and how he seems like one of those people that gets bored easily and is unable to sit quietly through a lecture without chatting with the person sitting next to them. Whenever he moves closer to Jaemin to whisper something in his ear, he does so in a wide manner, without much care for the concept of personal space and Jisung notices the light startle in Jaemin’s body each time, as if he was slightly crossing that invisible barrier.

On the other hand, Jaemin’s posture indicates to him that, contrary to Donghyuck, he is listening to the meeting and paying heed to what is being said. The way Jaemin leans almost shyly toward Donghyuck to give him a quick reply differentiates immensely from the hastily way Donghyuck does it, Jaemin’s moves much more calculated and controlled. There is a sense of restraint in his body despite the gracefulness with which he moves. Jisung can tell Jaemin is more of a reserved person, someone who keeps to themselves. It’s obvious in the way he barely makes any eye contact with Donghyuck, despite the latter’s attempts to make him look at him.

At some point, the constant murmurs must stir something inside the girl sitting on Jaemin’s other side and she turns to Donghyuck, hissing for him to be quiet. There’s a muffled scoff in return but Donghyuck complies and leans back on his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as his attention is directed to the stage.

That is when Jisung finally tears his eyes from them and refocuses on Taeyong, who is picking a precarious tower of papers from the floor and making his way to the front row. “With that being said, we are now going to distribute the scripts for you to take a quick look through them before next week. While we do so, Mark, can you come down on stage and explain what this semester's play is about?” He asks Renjun’s boyfriend, who nods, stands up and makes his way down the stairs.

“Because of the huge success of last semester’s play, I’m sure a lot of you are expecting us to do another musical this year.” Mark starts once he reaches the stage and everyone nods their heads at him. “I did consider it, but I want to try something new and keep challenging you guys to take on different roles and gain experience in all genres of theatre. So, this semester we will be doing a comedy.”

Instant whispering breaks out in the auditorium. Jisung catches distinct reactions to the news. Surprise, disappointment, doubt and excitement are some of the emotions present in the faces of the club members and those who have already received their scripts are not losing any time before diving into it, flipping through the pages to try and have an idea of what kind of comedy they will be doing.

As Taeyong and Doyoung keep distributing the scripts, Mark gives a small summary of what they can expect and Jisung watches people’s frowns start to disappear as they continue listening, the momentary skepticism regarding Mark’s choice slowly being replaced by enthusiasm. A few giggles sound from the first rows, only increasing Jisung’s curiosity.

When one of the scripts finally finds itself in his hands, Jisung simply stares back at it. He is sure it isn’t written in a foreign language, however, he has no idea how he is supposed to read it.

Next to him, Jeno chuckles, probably noticing his confused expression. “First time seeing a screenplay?”

Jisung nods sheepishly and accepts Jeno’s offer to break down each part for him, at the same time as he smacks Renjun’s arm to make him stop laughing.

He has to admit that even after Jeno explains to him how to properly read and understand the components of a script, Jisung still finds it a bit confusing, but Jeno assures him it will become much clearer when they go over the first reading next week. “That is, if we’ll see you next week.” There is an edge to his voice, not in any way threatening or mocking but more in an anticipating manner.

Jisung’s eyes involuntarily flick to Jaemin again. Similarly to everyone else, his eyes are scanning Mark’s original screenplay, nodding his head to certain parts before carrying on to the next page. On his left side, Donghyuck is busting a lung at something Mark has written and a second later he is fervently congratulating said boy on his work.

Reading people is not something Jisung would point out as being good at, but he is almost sure there is some unsettledness in the way Jaemin is studying the script, as if he is not exactly comfortable with the genre choice and is relentlessly looking for something familiar he can hold on to.

Jeno’s words emerge in his head once again. _“So it is Jaemin.The acting prodigy.”_ For him to have earned that nickname it must mean that Jaemin surely has staggering acting skills. Jisung has seen him act before, but he knows how people’s brains can exaggerate reality when it comes to someone they like, so learning that Jaemin capabilities are great enough for him to be named a prodigy only makes him eager to see more of him on stage.

The knowing smile he is greeted with when he turns back to Jeno makes Jisung’s ears grow hot and he gets too embarrassed to talk so he resorts to nodding his head in confirmation. He will definitely be coming to the next reading.

Just as mentioned by Jeno, when the meeting comes to an end, Doyoung asks the ones who are new to come down so that he can take them to a little backstage tour. Due to having spaced out for most of the meeting, Jisung failed to listen to which stage crew roles are still available and so he turns to Jeno swiftly, praying that he knows what they are.

“If it wasn’t clear already that you aren’t here for theatre itself, now there are no doubts about your true intentions.” There is no malice in his tone, his words coated with amusement instead and Jisung lowers his head in shame. “But to answer your question, the marketing team needs one more person, the lighting crew is in search of a new electrician and I guess Doyoung wants more stagehands.”

Jisung is not exactly sure what that last term means but he nods his head anyway and thanks him. He bides goodbye to Jeno and Renjun before descending the stairs and joining the small group of people surrounding Doyoung. There is a quick individual introduction in which each person says their name, major and why they want to join. As he listens to a couple introductions, Jisung realizes other people already have an idea of what they want to do, one even mentioning how he wishes to take the role of electrician. His head runs wild as he tries to make up something about how he has always been fascinated by theatre but no matter what he constructs in his head, it always sounds fake and so he decides to just go for something that is at least, based on true facts.

When the girl next to him finishes, Jisung takes a deep breath before beginning his introduction. “Hello, my name is Jisung and I am majoring in dance and performance. I came to see last semester’s play and enjoyed it very much. I thought I could participate in this year’s play as one of the dancers, if it was a musical once again, but since you will be doing a comedy this time I’m still a bit indecisive about joining.”

Taeyong smiles warmly at him. “Welcome, Jisung. Even if your initial idea hasn’t come true and there won’t be dance choreographies this time, that doesn’t mean you can’t participate. There are plenty of minor roles you can audition for.” Doyoung moves his head in accordance and the word is passed to the next student.

The tour starts no long after, they take a look at the fly system, the catwalk, dressing rooms, storage areas, the control booth, while Taeyong and Doyoung give them explanations of what is done in each of these places. Jisung has to admit it is rather interesting seeing what lies beyond the stage and far from the eyes of the audience. As the TAs keep talking, he gets a sneak peek of the amount of work and effort a theatre production requires, the people working backstage just as important as the actors stepping on stage.

With the technical crew roles clarified at the end of the tour, Jisung isn’t sure he qualifies for any of them. One thing worth mentioning is that Jisung is very clumsy, as Chenle and Renjun like to call him, a human disaster, and he doesn’t think backstage is the best place for him to work in. He can already envision himself tangling the mic wires or accidentally knocking down a set piece while removing it from stage. He sighs as he leaves the auditorium. As it seems, he will really need to find his inner actor.

❣

In the next reading, Jisung finds himself in between Renjun and Jeno once again. Although he can now interpret the script a bit more, he still gets confused from time to time, so both boys help him whenever he gets lost.

To be honest, Jisung didn’t know what to expect from a reading as he had no idea what it implied, but he is pleasantly surprised with it. Everyone seems to be having a lot of fun and as they go through different scenes, Jisung is impressed by how talented everyone is. At one point during the reading, Jisung throws his head back in laughter at a particularly funny line that leaves Renjun wheezing beside him. When he lifts his head, his gaze meets Taeyong’s and a sudden wave of doubt and nervousness washes over him as he suggests Jisung reads the next part along with Jisu.

It is a small scene and Jisung’s lines are short but the unexpected attention and curious eyes looking at him expectantly are making him anxious and a lump starts forming in his throat. Jisu’s character speaks first and from a few seats away, she gives him a small smile of encouragement before mouthing _“Whenever you’re ready.”_

To add to that, Renjun’s hand flies to Jisung’s one and he interlocks their fingers, giving it a little squeeze. Jeno also pats his thigh lightly and Jisung feels his nervousness subside ever so slightly, knowing they are supporting him. His anxiety makes him inspect the scene one last time before he swallows it down and looks at Jisu, silently telling her to start.

Despite his fear, the scene ends sooner than expected, going by so fast that Jisung doesn’t even have time to register anything. He can feel his heartbeat pounding in his ears, his heart jumping against his ribcage like it wants to come out. Renjun’s hand is still holding his and he keeps squeezing it sporadically, giving Jisung a sense of comfort. When his heartbeat finally resumes its regular rhythm, they have already moved to the next scene. He bites his inner cheek and hesitantly glances at Renjun. “How was it?”

His voice comes out small and he winces at it, but his friend squeezes his hand one more time and grins, reassuringly. “Not bad for your first time.”

Jisung’s sigh of relief comes out a little louder than he wanted it to, but no one pays it any mind as Taeyong is already choosing the next people for the following scene.

His head snaps to his other side when Jeno’s hand reappears at his thigh, patting gently. “You did well.” He compliments with a comforting smile and even though Jisung knows he still has a long way to go and is more than aware of the fact that he failed to say the words with the right tone, he is thankful for the consoling gesture.

The rest of the reading carries on with a handful of giggles, big fits of laughter as well as a few mocking remarks here and there at a couple of too far fetched phrases where it is clear Mark has tried a little too hard to snatch a laugh from the audience. In those situations people would supply some plausible substitutes and, disregarding one or two inappropriate jokes, they would approve them and do some changes to the script if Mark and the TAs agreed it suited the atmosphere and flow of the scene.

At the end, when Jisu comes to congratulate him on his reading and asks what are the characters Jisung has his eyes on for the auditions, he surprises himself by actually having two in mind. They are the ones who appear in the least amount of scenes and speak just enough for Jisung to be able to remember his lines, so all he has to do now is choose one to audition for.

“You can audition for both, you know?” Jisu tells him when he shares it with her. “Taeyong and Doyoung usually advise us to select more than one role to audition for so they can see which one suits us more.”

“Oh, really? Then I guess I have made my decision.” In order to facilitate his search later on, he folds the edge of the pages in which the characters he wishes to act out appear, putting the script away in his bag when he is finished. “What will you be auditioning for?”

Jisu does not hesitate before answering. “The mom! I was really drawn to her character, so I’ll try my best to get that role. But if I don’t..” She flips through the script in her hands, which is full of scribbles along the sides of the pages, certain portions of text highlighted with a neon-pink. Looking at it, Jisung thinks back to his own bare script and almost wants to laugh at how telling such an insignificant detail can be. Meanwhile, Jisu finally stops at one page and points at a name. “I’ll probably be the grumpy grandmother. She seems quite fun.”

“Oh no! I also want to do the grumpy old lady!” Yeji appears beside Jisu with a pout and the two engage into a conversation of their own. Jisung takes it as his cue to leave and politely excuses himself, gets his bag and bids Renjun and Jeno goodbye who are waiting for Mark to finish talking with both teacher assistants. Renjun is waiting so he can kiss his boyfriend goodbye and Jeno so they can walk back to their shared dorm together.

It is when he turns around and makes his way up the auditorium stairs, that he sees a familiar mop of light brown hair a few steps above him. He takes the remaining steps separating them two at a time and nudges at the side of his roommate, who startles at the action before noticing who he is. “Jisung, what are you doing here?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you the same thing? I definitely recall you telling me you had gotten into the basketball team.” He thinks back to two days ago when Sungchan had bounced into their dorm with the widest smile on his face, announcing he was now part of the basketball team and showing off his brand new jersey.

“And I did.” Sungchan confirms and lets out a sigh as they both exit the auditorium and walk down the corridor, in the direction of the performing arts building’s main door. “But Donghyuck kept talking my ear off all day about how I should audition for the play with him and I couldn’t handle any more of his whines so, here I am.”

Jisung is surprised by Sungchan’s mention of Donghyuck, not knowing they were friends. Then he remembers Donghyuck is the star player of the basketball team and makes sense of where the connection is coming from. “Does that mean you will be auditioning, then?”

Another tired sigh leaves Sungchan’s lips and his shoulders slump. “Unfortunately, yes. I thought it would be enough to come with him and sit through the reading, but as it turns out he really wants me to take part in the play.” His roommate’s dispirited look is far more comical than it should be and Jisung figures laughing at his misfortune is not going to make him feel any better, so he presses his lips together to stop a giggle from sneaking past them.

“What about you? Are you interested in theatre?”

The balmy breeze that welcomes them when they step outside the building is greatly appreciated by Jisung, who has no idea how he made it through the blazing heat of the day without any gush of wind to appease his hot skin. “Not really, but today was pretty fun and I like the screenplay for this semester’s production. Mark writes really well.”

Sungchan nods in agreement. “You’ll be auditioning too?”

Jisung hums and Sungchan perks at that, a gleam of excitement in his eyes when he turns to face Jisung as they keep walking to their dorm. “That means we can help each other go through our lines.”

This time, Jisung lets a laugh escape his mouth which causes Sungchan’s eyebrows to crease. Just in case Sungchan thinks he is declining his offer because he considers himself to be superior or something, Jisung explains. “I don’t think I will be of much help as I have never done this before.”

“Well, neither have I.” The boy admits. “Let’s just make sure the other doesn’t totally embarrass himself at the auditions, then. How does that sound?”

Jisung thinks that much he can do and the more he thinks about it, the more he thinks it will be helpful for both of them to have another person to run their lines with and point out what needs to be bettered, even if none of them knows a lot about theatre anyway. With the fun he had today at the reading he guesses the whole process will be entertaining to say the least and having Sungchan as his roommate is just another point in favour.

“Sounds good. Let’s do it.”

The following days go past with Jisung still trying to adjust to college life. It truly has a completely different pace from highschool and it is taking him a while getting used to. That and the continuous hot weather that forces him to carry an extra t-shirt everywhere, since the one he leaves the dorm with in the morning ends up drenched in sweat even before lunch time. Jisung goes through the whole day wishing for the night to come, desperately wanting to feel even the tiniest breeze against his skin, so it no longer surprises Sungchan when he comes to the dorm that night and makes them say their lines on the balcony, under the moonlight.

Auditions are tomorrow and in spite of both of them having practiced every night ever since they got the scripts, the truth is that Jisung is extremely nervous. The feeling of him going on stage tomorrow and forgetting every single word he has to say has been clawing at him lately, a side effect from the fact that the audition day is closing in and the overthinking train has stopped in his mind once again, spilling the usual self-doubt and uncertainty onto him, until Jisung is strong enough to close its doors and send it away to its next stop.

Sungchan on the other side, seems perfectly normal and relaxed. He is more than familiarized with his lines and Jisung has caught him multiple times reciting them to himself during breakfast when his hair is still tousled from the bed and his eyes haven’t fully opened yet. Jisung has memorized his lines as well, to the point where he is confident he could say them in his sleep, but he can’t shake the feeling that all this preparation is in vain and he will ruin his chance of getting closer to Jaemin the moment he sets foot on the stage.

“That won’t happen.” Sungchan reasons that night as they lean on the balcony’s railing and look up at the full moon. “You have been practising non-stop. You know those lines from start to finish and I bet you could tell them in reverse order if I asked you to. It’s going to be fine. And even if it doesn’t and you suck, it’s such a minor role they’ll probably give it to you anyway, because no one else will want it.”

“Geez, thanks for the encouragement.”

Sungchan’s laughter cuts through the stillness of the night. “I’m just joking. I’m sure that won’t happen. I’ve heard you, Jisung. I don’t doubt you’re gonna get your role.”

Jisung doesn’t say anything after that and they fall into a comfortable silence, each savouring the slight temperature drop and admiring the splendour of the full moon, along with the delicate sprinkles of white paint surrounding it, which add a beautiful detail to the wide canvas that is the night sky. The light emanating from the moon is so strong tonight that it would be enough to illuminate even the darkest alley, but unfortunately it is also the reason as to why the stars are a bit more difficult to pinpoint and look at. Jisung would usually feel calmer simply by sparing a glance at the stars and perhaps his increased uneasiness tonight can be explained by his inability to do so. Sungchan seems to feel it too and he proposes they watch a movie, making himself responsible for the microwave popcorn while Jisung is left choosing what they’ll see.

Interstellar is playing not long after and Jisung lets out a very unflattering squeal when he discovers Sungchan has never seen it before. Needless to say Jisung gladly and promptly answers each and every question Sungchan throws at him once the movie comes to an end and it is not unforeseen how they stay awake way past midnight discussing theories and commenting different aspects of the movie, the thought of the auditions already too distant, kilometres away from their minds.

Compared to the past two times Jisung has entered the auditorium, this is without any doubt, the loudest it has ever been. Everyone is excitedly talking with one another, saying their lines out loud, laughing like there is no tomorrow and Jisung’s head is already starting to hurt. He can hear Chenle shrieking somewhere in the middle rows and he wants nothing more than to drag him out of the auditorium by an ear.

“Are you really auditioning for the play?” Chenle had asked him, incredulous, during lunch three days ago. “You’re really going for it?”

“Why are you acting so surprised? Renjun did the same thing when he first saw me in the auditorium. I spent the whole summer telling you I wanted to get into the drama club. You have no reason to be this shocked.”

“That is right, you talked our ears off about how beautiful the pink-haired boy’s voice was and how pretty he was, but I never actually thought you would do something with that crush of yours.” Chenle munched on his tuna sandwich, looking at him both in bewilderment and mockery. Jisung didn’t appreciate the last one.

He huffed and sat back in his chair, staring at Chenle in disbelief. “Such lack of faith in me. Can you remind me again why we are friends?”

Chenle rolled his eyes at the dramatism, but then stopped and pointed his sandwich in Jisung’s direction. “That wasn’t so bad right now. Perhaps you can pull it off.”

Chenle’s mocking laughter reached Jisung’s ears when he hit his arm forcefully and he thought the conversation had ended there, until Chenle spoke up again. “I’ll be there for the auditions then.”

Jisung choked on the juice he was drinking, having such a big coughing fit that Chenle had to give him a few punches in the back, which to be honest, only made the matter worse.

Jisung, now, risks a glance behind him and receives an enthusiastic wave from his best friend, followed by a thumbs up and a mouthed _good luck!_ and all he can do is groan at the menace that Chenle is. The mix of tiredness, nervousness and annoyance from the crescendo of voices inside the auditorium, which just keeps filling up, almost makes Jisung snap when someone asks if the seat beside him is available. _Of course it is available, are you seeing someone sitting there? Or any bag possibly indicating that it is occupied?_ Are the remarks on the tip of his tongue, but he never says them out loud, instantly recognizing who the voice belongs to.

Turning to its direction, his eyes meet Jaemin, and Jisung nods his head at his question, not fully trusting his own voice to answer him. Whilst Jisung’s heart rate increases exponentially, Jaemin sits down quietly and Jisung suddenly feels self-conscious about everything. His hand goes through his hair, trying to even it out and make it look a little more presentable. Then, he adjusts the collar of his t-shirt and frowns at the wrinkles that have formed on it during the day and discretely tries to smooth them out, even though he fails miserably. When he has accepted that there is nothing more he can do to improve his looks, he takes out the script from his bag and opens it on the scenes he has been practising continuously, hoping he can at least look like someone who is very dedicated.

From his peripheral view, Jaemin is typing something away on his phone, not paying him any attention. Jisung doesn’t let that phase him and figures that looking through the script may at least distract him from having his crush so close to him. He wants to focus on what he is reading but he is starting to get sick of seeing the same words all the time and so he skims some of the bigger scenes, those he hasn’t even dared looking at before because of the intimidating amount of text. Even the stage directions portion is way longer than in the scenes he has studied, with a lot more instructions about movement, tone and emotion.

He decides to settle on one of the last scenes, a conversation between the three main characters. That is something that sets this screenplay apart. Mark has written a chaotic family Christmas dinner which main focus is on the three children of a married couple. The children are all around their 20s and along the play the audience gets a sneak peek of their lives and the problems each of them have to face. Broken friendships, last minute cancelled dates, fake stories of success to avoid disappointment, painful truths buried for far too many years and lots of unspoken love and affection that are perhaps not shown in the best of ways are some of the main topics Mark covers during the crazy dinner. Lots of the comedy aspects of it come from side characters, such as the grumpy grandmother and the emo cousin, which is the role Jisung has been hoping to get.

As his eyes survey the scene, Jisung pays special attention to the younger sibling. Out of all the children, the younger one is surprisingly the most mature one, breaking the petty fights of the other two and giving them lectures on their indecent behaviour. He says some funny remarks whenever he is scolding them and Jisung has to muffle a couple of giggles while he reads some of them.

“Whoever gets this role needs to have tons of self-control to be able to say these things with a poker face.” He mumbles as his finger trails the words so that he doesn’t get lost.

“That is actually the one I am going to audition for today.” A voice sounds beside him and Jisung startles, not expecting anyone to reply to him, let alone Jaemin.

“You are?” Jisung looks up at him and Jaemin confirms with a subtle head movement. “You must be very good at controlling your emotions then.”

Jaemin waves his hand lightly and shakes his head in disagreement. “I am not any better at it than your regular actor.”

“I doubt that.” Jisung promptly says and before he can’t stop himself, he begins rambling. “I saw you in the musical you did last semester and you really stood out to me. You absolutely killed your solo, it was all I could listen to after the play ended. Your voice suited it perfectly and I could feel the amount of emotion you poured into it. Your performance was so memorable I-” _could not forget about it and it haunted me in my dreams for weeks to the point where I would go days without anything on my mind other than you_. Jisung laughs awkwardly when he realizes what he was about to blurt out and scratches the nape of his neck, scrambling in his brain for something less straightforward to say. “-I got really inspired by it.” He wants to cringe at his words and just leave it there, as his anxiety has done enough damage already, but he can’t seem to contain his frantic train of thought. “I mean- it was a really inspiring performance, I could really connect with your character and I just wanted to compliment you on it.” Jisung finally takes control of his body and slams his mouth shut, his hands curling into fits at the blabbering mess he has become.

To make the matters worse, Jaemin has frozen, too taken-aback by Jisung’s sudden burst. Jisung never wished so hard that a hole would open up beneath him and suck him out of this insanely awkward situation. Out of reflex, he re-opens his mouth to try and make it a little better somehow, but then the most genuine smile is painted on Jaemin’s face and a pinkish tone tinting his cheeks and Jisung swears he forgets how to breathe for a moment.

He watches, mortified, as Jaemin prepares to say something back, however, he is interrupted by Taeyong announcing the beginning of auditions and asking for the actors to gather on stage. Without delay, Jisung jumps to his feet and is ready to dash for the stairs, but Jaemin stands up equally as fast and blocks his way.

“I- you caught me by surprise, but thank you. That meant a lot, knowing I managed to do all that, even though I think you have me in very high consideration.” Jaemin smiles sheepishly and when Jisung’s legs wobble under him at the sight, he motions Jaemin to advance so he can follow, before his legs decide to give out on him and he humiliates himself even further.

“It is all true, though. You are awesome, you’re just too modest.” He adds as they go down the stairs and join the rest of the students on stage.

Jaemin peers at him, his face flushed and before Doyoung speaks up, he manages to murmur a barely audible _“Thank you.”_

“How is everyone? Are you well-rested? Did you have a good night’s sleep?” Doyoung questions with a bright smile and Jisung’s eyes immediately search for Sungchan who is standing across him, looking straight at him with a mix of regret and alert in his eyes, probably feeling as called out as Jisung. “I hope you are ready for today, good-luck to all of you and let’s get it started!”

The TAs don’t exactly follow a list, or an order, choosing random scenes and assigning roles to those who raise their arms when asked about who wants to give them a try, sometimes picking someone else they seem fitting for the role and other times having people switching roles in the middle of the scene if they figure it isn’t working out. Jisung waits anxiously for his turn, his habit of tapping his foot against the wooden-floor of the stage coming out as the nerves bubble up inside him.

Thankfully, one of the scenes he practiced is up next and Jisung swiftly lifts his arm up when Doyoung asks who wants to do it, unintentionally scaring Jaemin. Chaeryeong, a girl Jisung recognizes as taking the same major as him and that he remembers seeing in some of his classes shares this scene with him, along with Yuna, a close friend of Renjun’s.

Jisung gets surprised when, in the midst of calming his nerves down before Doyoung gives them the cue, Jaemin leans in and wishes him good luck. Jisung has no time to dwell on it and quickly thanks him right when Doyoung claps his hands, indicating them to start.

He doesn’t stumble over his words, neither does he forget them and he uses the same tone as Sungchan advised him to use, so when the scene ends he can finally feel part of the heavy weight resting on his shoulders, alleviated. From across him, Sungchan shows him a thumbs up and when he crosses gazes with Jisu, she smiles at him and does a similar gesture. Jisung appreciates both actions but his stupid heart tumbles in his chest when Jaemin does much as nods at him.

The next scene he does, he feels far less stiff and delivers his lines more naturally. Part of it is because he is performing the role he wants the most - the emo cousin. The other part is the fact that the atmosphere of auditions is anything like Jisung imagined. People are incredibly supportive of one another and a lot of effort is put to make sure everyone is comfortable enough to completely let go and give it their all.

Unfortunately, the auditions go by way too fast for Jisung’s liking and he can’t quite believe his eyes when he looks at his wristwatch, unable to understand how time can fly like that. The part he enjoys the most, however, is when they finish reading for the last characters and Taeyong and Doyoung shoo everyone away, declaring they have a very difficult task at hand and they will be informed of the results the next day.

The level of adrenaline inside that auditorium is still so high after auditions are over that no one wants to leave just yet, people instead going around the stage and congratulating each other, rooting for their friends to get the roles they want and even placing bets on who are going to be the ones getting the three lead roles. Jaemin’s name is the most mentioned one and Jisung thinks people are dumb for betting on whether or not Jaemin is getting the lead when it is obvious that the character of the younger sibling already has his name written all over it.

The next day, the results are announced after Jisung’s last class and he runs to the auditorium as soon as it finishes, coming across a mass of students surrounding the cast list stuck to the door. He waits until the crowd disperses a little, exchanging a few words with some familiar faces like the two girls he shared a scene with yesterday, and when he finally opens up a path and is in front of the cast list his eyes trail the sheet in search of his name on the bottom of the list. He can barely contain a happy shrill as he scans the last two rows and sees:

_Jisung Park ------------------ Emo Cousin._

❣

At the first rehearsal, they don’t do much besides reading but Jisung is added to the drama club group chat, the main source of communication between club members. It is through it that he learns about the Wednesday drama lunches, where apparently, the theatre crew has lunch together with the objective of getting to know each other and develop their chemistry.

Today is Wednesday and Jisung’s forgetful mind would pass it as any other day in which he would have lunch with Chenle, just like he had for the past weeks, if it wasn’t for Chaeryeong and Shotaro - who share the same class with him before lunch time - asking him if he was joining them. Unable to admit he forgot about it and because he doesn’t want to paint a bad image of himself so early on, Jisung says yes and as the three of them make their way toward the cafeteria together he is partly listening to Chaeryeong explaining how this club tradition came to be at the same time as he texts Chenle, apologizing for not having lunch with him today and swearing he will pay him back somehow.

To his surprise, Chenle is the first person he sees sitting at the table, casually speaking with Jeno and another boy whose name Jisung remembers as being Kunhang. When his best friend sees him, he waves a hand and pats the chair beside him. Jisung greets those who are already seated and walks to him, feeling rather confused as to why he is there.

“Why are you here? You’re not part of the theatre club.” He scream-whispers as he sits down on the chair Chenle had been guarding, who rolls his eyes at Jisung’s statement.

“Thanks for stating the obvious.” Which in turn, causes Jisung to roll his eyes as well. Chenle then schools his expression into a sad and hopeless one and proceeds to announce solemnly, “As it happens I am surrounded by people who are part of the theatre club. First Renjun, then you and now these two, who have just made that terrible revelation.” He makes a vague hand-motion toward Jeno who has an amused smile on his face and Kunhang, who is pretending to ignore all the gibberish Chenle is saying.

“Just for your information, the theatre club is not as bad as you make it seem. It’s actually pretty fun and does not leave you all sweaty and gross when you finish.” Kunhang retorts and Chenle turns his body to him and straightens up, ready to retaliate, but before he can do that, Jisung directs his attention to Jeno. “How do you know each other?”

“Kunhang, Chenle and I have the same major.” Jeno supplies and when Jisung prepares to ask him the reason as to why Chenle is sitting with them, he continues as if already expecting the question. “I sometimes see you having lunch together and since today was Wednesday, we invited him to join us so he wouldn’t be on his own.”

“Yeah, because Jeno, as opposed to you, is a good friend who thinks of others and warns them about stuff like a weekly club lunch and kindly invites them along.” In seconds, Chenle puts Jisung in a head-lock and due to past experience, Jisung knows the faster he apologizes and assumes how bad of a friend he is, the faster he is released. After all, Chenle is right this time.

“C’mon guys, no violence at the lunch table alright?” Jisu’s motherly voice sounds from somewhere in the middle of the table and with a last friendly threat whispered in his ear, Jisung is released, his hair ruffled and the collar of his t-shirt dishevelled.

“Who’s missing? I’m dying of hunger.” Ryujin, who Jisung has learned is Jaemin’s best friend, complains as she fiercely stares at the cafeteria’s entrance, ready to jump on whoever it is that is taking so long to arrive. From beside her, Jaemin is quietly setting his plastic tupperwares on the table, silently adding them to the other ones already populating it. Jisung grins at the contrast of their personalities, how despite Ryujin’s impatience and outspoken self being the complete opposite of Jaemin’s serene and reserved self, their friendship still seems to work.

“Renjun and Yuna have just gotten out of class.” Mark declares, his eyes glued to his phone, most definitely texting his boyfriend.

A heavy sigh is heard from the table and Ryujin is crossing her arms over her chest as he sits back on her chair. At the same time, Jisu proposes they start opening the food containers that each of them has brought. A very important note of this club lunch is the fact that everyone is responsible for bringing something to share and Jisung gradually feels more guilty with every plastic tupperware that is open.

Renjun and Yuna join them quickly afterwards, grumbling about how their teacher held them back for an unnecessarily long time. With the crew complete, they finally dig in and conversation naturally flourishes. Jisung sticks to his own lunch at first, too shy to take something from the tupperwares deposited on the table, feeling bad for not being able to give anything in return. Chenle, as typical of him, doesn’t restrain himself and goes around the table tasting a bit of everything. It comes to a point where Jisung has to physically stop him from sticking his hand on yet another container, ordering him to finish what he is still chewing first before diving into anything else.

What he isn’t shy to attack, though, are Renjun’s infamous egg rolls, Jisung’s favourite. He is happily munching on one, when Jisu stands up and hands him one of her containers, insisting he takes a bite of her homemade mini-burgers. One thing he learns is that it’s not worth arguing with her, and so he gives in and carefully picks one. From then on Jisung timidly accepts other people’s offers, who take on her example and slowly but surely the guilt he feels turns into determination, a firm resolution in bringing something next time he can proudly share with the rest of the club.

The whole lunch is filled with loud chattering, silly little games and gossip. When Jisung deems himself as full and incapable of eating even a microscopic crumb, Jeno gently pokes his arm and extends him a small chocolate mousse cake, a similar one on his other hand.

“No, no way. I feel like I’ll burst the moment I put that in my mouth.” He shakes his head at the sweet, but Jeno leans over the table with the intent of whispering something in his ear.

“This was made by Jaemin.” Jisung can hear the smirk in Jeno’s voice and his eyes catch it as well when he leans back and winks at him. The cake is still sitting on his outstretched hand and Jeno keeps tilting his head in its direction, a full open-mouthed smile creeping on his face as Jisung picks the cake semi-reluctantly and takes the smallest bite.

It tastes criminally good. The involuntary humming noise of contentment that escapes his mouth makes Jeno look at him triumphantly and Jisung wants to grimace at it, show him it isn’t all that good and erase that satisfaction from his face but reality is that this may just be the most delicious chocolate cake Jisung has ever tasted and he wouldn’t be able to bad-mouthed it even if he wanted to. So, he keeps savouring the treat, discovering his stomach can still make space for the cake, despite how full he feels. He thinks Jeno is done teasing him when he finishes it and licks the remaining chocolate that got stuck to his fingers, but his gaze is still locked on him which makes Jisung arch an eyebrow questionably.

“Since you liked it so much, why don’t you compliment the chef?”

If there wasn’t a table separating them Jisung would have punched his arm with all the force he could muster, but seeing that that isn’t possible he sends Jeno a murderous look that does not convey half the things a punch would have. They engage in an intense staring war, with Jeno relentlessly motioning for Jisung to say something, while Jisung keeps making a cross with his fingers, shaking his head at his awful idea. The problem is when Chenle catches their exchange and asks what it is all about. Jeno doesn’t seem to get Jisung’s signal to remain silent and shares with Chenle his innocent request, who simply snickers and joins Jeno’s side, having fun tormenting Jisung.

Jisu’s appearance saves Jisung from the two little demons, who would have become three if Kunhang hadn’t left earlier to go to the treasury. “How are you enjoying your first club lunch Jisung?” She asks as she sits on the now empty chair beside Jeno.

“It’s been great so far. The food is delicious.” At his own mention of food, the guilt assaults him again and he takes this chance to apologize for not contributing to the feast. “I’m sorry I didn’t bring anything, but I promise I’ll prepare something for next week.”

“Don’t feel pressured to bring anything. This has sort of become a thing but none of us minds if you can’t make something every week. We all have our own lives outside the club and uni so it’s totally understandable if you don’t have time or forget about it. After all, the main goal is for us to hang out for a bit and work on our chemistry so everything flows more naturally on stage. The rest doesn’t matter.”

“Still. Everyone complies with it and I want to do it as well.” He insists and Jisu is looking at him as if debating if this is a war worth fighting, when Chenle chirps in.

“I really hope you are considering buying something instead of making it, for your own safety and your roommates’.”

Jisung was in fact thinking just that as he cannot cook to save his life and has learnt that the hard way, but something in Chenle’s tone stirs him the wrong way and suddenly Jisung feels the urge to prove himself, so he babbles, “I was actually thinking of cooking, why? You think I can’t do it?”

Chenle snorts and stares at him, unblinking. “What kind of answer are you expecting me to give you?”

“I will cook! I’ll prove you that you are wrong to judge my cooking skills based on a sole accident.”

“You are what?” Renjun turns to look at them, his eyes wide in alert. “Jisung, do we need to remind you, you _cannot_ cook? You lit a kitchen cloth on fire the last time I left you alone in my kitchen.”

Jisung groans and hides his face on his hands as laughter erupts around him. “That was _one_ time! Will you ever let that go?”

“If you are that dangerous inside a kitchen, I must say I will feel way less worried if you simply buy or order something instead.” Jisu giggles and Jisung feels like he is losing a possible ally.

“Oh c’mon, it will be far more special if I attempt to make something myself.” He points out.

“Keyword there – _Attempt_.”

“You can always have someone help you.” Jeno suggests with a grin and Jisung narrows his eyes at him, getting suspicious of whatever idea Jeno is brewing inside his head.

“I will not volunteer to do it.” Renjun refuses rapidly. “Made that mistake once, won’t do it twice.”

“You need someone who is patient, careful and can walk you through a recipe without any mishaps happening.” Jeno continues and the more he says, the more Jisung starts to understand where he wants to get with this. “Someone who enjoys cooking a lot and would not mind taking some time to teach you some easy dishes.”

“Oh, that description fits Jaemin like a glove!” Jisu comments and a moment later she is calling Jaemin and asking him to come to where they are.

The smug look on Jeno's face does not look as good on him as he may think it does and Jisung hates how he is having a great time messing with him because of his crush.

“Jaemin, Jisung hasn't had good experiences in the kitchen but he is very insistent in wanting to cook something for next week. Will you be able to help him?” She explains when Jaemin approaches them. The request catches him off guard and his eyes flick to Jisung, whose heart stutters at the attention.

“We are asking you because you are a great cook and would take care of Jisung so he wouldn't get himself into trouble.” Jeno further explains the reason behind them choosing Jaemin as Jisung’s possible cooking teacher. “Also, Jisung loved your chocolate cakes and thought it would be great if you could teach him a similar recipe.” He decides to add and Jisung kicks him under the table, Jeno's head immediately snapping in his direction.

Jisung so wants to murder him now. He is expecting Jaemin to kindly decline their odd request and resume his seat on the other side of the table, acting like nothing happened. Instead, Jaemin smiles straight at Jisung.

“Yes, I can do that. You can come to my dorm during the weekend so I can teach you a couple recipes. Does Saturday afternoon work for you?” He sweetly smiles as he tilts his head to the side and Jisung bets his cheeks are flaming red by how they are burning right now.

"Y-Yes, it is perfect.” He weakly replies and with that he has just earned a chance to make a fool out of himself in front of his crush.

❣

Saturday afternoon comes much quicker than it should have. Jisung has been both anticipating it and dreading it, his mind constantly fighting with itself over how good this opportunity is as well as how unfortunate it is that out of all the things he imagined himself doing with Jaemin, the first thing they will be doing has to be cooking.

With the bundle of anxiety he has become after Wednesday’s lunch, he spends the rehearsal on Friday totally distracted and trying to avoid Jaemin as much as he can. Renjun and Jeno can only laugh at his pitiful state, but Jeno keeps assuring him this is good and he will thank him at the end. He is so disoriented that Doyoung reprimands him twice for missing the timing of his lines. Whilst returning to the dorm, at the end of it, Sungchan brings up his strange behaviour and Jisung tells him about the next day’s event, disclosing his crush on Jaemin to yet another person.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe I missed that!” He exclaims as he plops himself on top of his bed, Jisung mirroring his action and burying his head on his pillow. “I wish I had joined you on Wednesday so I could have seen your face!”

“Believe me, you lost nothing.” His response comes out muffled and Jisung turns his head to look at Sungchan, suddenly remembering something that’ll change the topic of conversation and shift the attention to Sungchan. “By the way, why weren’t you there? You got a role.”

Sungchan rolls his body in Jisung’s direction and props himself on his elbows, making himself comfortable. “You see, the basketball team usually hangs out together during lunch time and Donghyuck is super close to the older members. He has never joined the drama club lunches since he became part of the cast simply because I think he is more comfortable with staying with the team and I decided to stick with him because I am not that familiar with the drama members yet, besides you.”

“You do know that’s the whole point of the lunches right? To get to know each other and become close.”

“I know, I guess I was too shy to go by myself and possibly make the team upset.”

Jisung frowns at that. “Why would the team get mad? It’s not like you are choosing sides, besides Chenle is also part of the team and he was sitting with us. I’m sure they don’t mind. You’ll only be gone for an hour anyway, they can survive without you during that time.”

For a while they stay silent, Sungchan soundlessly digesting Jisung’s words, until he hums and nods his head. “You’re right. I’ll talk with them.” He shuffles again on the bed, settling down when he is lying down on his back, his eyes set on the white ceiling of the room. “I sneaked some glances at your table, though. It seemed like you were having fun.”

Jisung peers at him curiously, detecting a smitten smile pulling at his roommate’s lips. “If you had been looking, you must have seen when Jaemin got up and walked to my side of the table.”

Sungchan falls for it without suspecting anything. “He blocked my vision when he stood up, yeah, but I didn’t follow him so I didn’t see where he went.” Jisung’s lips stretch into a full grin.

“So, he blocked your vision huh? Did Shotaro enjoy his food well?”

“Yeah he-” He stops abruptly, eyes widening in realization and Jisung can’t help but laugh as his head snaps in his direction and he looks like a deer caught in the headlights . “How did you- wait I never said-”

“There was no need to. I can see your heart-eyes when you are running lines together. Tell me the truth, did you choose to be one of the twins because you knew Shotaro wanted to be the other one?”

Sungchan searching for a pillow to hide his face in, is enough of an answer and Jisung chuckles at how whipped they both are for their crushes. Just then, an idea pops in Jisung’s head, who hastily brings himself to a sitting position.

“Isn’t Shotaro Jaemin’s roommate?”

The pillow covering Sungchan’s face lowers a little, so now his eyes are visible. “I guess so. They always leave together after rehearsals.”

“Great.” Jisung reaches for Sungchan’s phone on the bedside table and hands it to him, who looks at him, confused. “Text him saying you want to go through your lines together tomorrow. Say you want it to be in his dorm and make up some excuse of why you can’t do it here. That way, I won’t be going to see Jaemin alone tomorrow and we can help each other out.”

Sungchan ponders for a bit, his hand moving slowly to grab at his phone. “We just had a rehearsal today, don’t you think it will sound weird of me asking him to practice again?”

“Do you wanna see Shotaro again or not?” Jisung deadpans and Sungchan’s body kicks into action, his fingers typing hurriedly at his phone.

“Okay Jisung are we gonna do this, or not? Because it’s the third time you confidently walk to the door, raise your hand to knock and back out like a scared puppy and I didn’t come here to stare at a door, but at a boy instead.” Sungchan impatiently says, tired of waiting outside.

Jisung truly understands his snappiness. They have been standing in front of Jaemin and Shotaro’s dorm door for a good 15 minutes, waiting for Jisung to gather enough courage to knock. If it were the other way around, Jisung would have already pushed past him and knocked on the door himself, but Sungchan keeps pacing in the hallway, letting Jisung do his own thing. The problem is that Jisung is not doing a good job at _doing his own thing_. His hands are sweaty and can't seem to stop shaking, his legs begin wobbling beneath him whenever he does as much as take a step in the door's direction and he has gone silent ever since they arrived, his nerves eating away his ability to emit sounds, let alone actually form words and sentences.

The speed and intensity of his, until here, very comprehensive and patient friend's stride keeps increasing as time passes, and it is how Jisung tells Sungchan is reaching his breaking point.

After the twentieth deep breath, a small spark of bravery ignites in Jisung's chest and he feeds on it before it disappears, taking a step forward and finally knocking on the door.

Beside him, Sungchan is clasping his hands together and holding them in the air, pointing his gaze at the sky as if thanking the heavens for sparing a tiny bit of boldness in his roommate's body and saving him from possibly another agonizing 15 minutes of waiting.

For the sake of Jisung's heart, Shotaro is the one who opens the door and welcomes them in. The inside of the dorm is similar to the one Jisung shares with Sungchan so his eyes immediately find the kitchen, where Jaemin is setting aside all the utensils they will be needing today.

It is not as awkward as Jisung thought it would be. Maybe that is because Sungchan has come with him, a bit of familiarity in an otherwise uncomfortable situation; maybe it is because of Shotaro's bright and warm presence; or maybe all the terrible scenarios his mind came up with while waiting outside have somehow set the bar extremely low and so anything that doesn’t end with Jisung stumbling over his words and choking on his own spit is already considered a victory. All he knows is that the four of them fall into easy conversation from the start, and Jisung feels the tension gradually leave his shoulders as he gets more and more accustomed with the situation.

Only by taking a look at the kitchen counter and seeing how the pans and pots are displayed by size, bowls by colour, dry ingredients on one side while the wet ones are on another, Jisung can tell Jaemin is one of those cooks who are extremely organized and follow the recipes religiously, measuring everything and buying exactly the same ingredients used in the recipe, not settling for any substitutes as that may change the taste or consistency of a certain component, which automatically means you won’t get the promised result.

Knowing that he is bound to make mistakes today, the idea of Jaemin being a perfectionist makes Jisung shake in fear. Upsetting a perfectionist is really not something he wishes on anyone and so he silently prays for a smooth and chill cook, even though the combination of him and a kitchen screams nothing but catastrophe.

Sungchan winks at him as he follows Shotaro out of the kitchen, leaving him and Jaemin on their own. The first thing Jisung does is put on the apron Jaemin hands him. He is flumbing with the straps at the back at the same time as Jaemin shows him the variety of cakes they can make, from a basic-looking yogurt cake to something a little more challenging like a multilayered banana cake with a salted caramel frosting.

“Is there anything calling out to you?” Jaemin looks up from the recipes to see Jisung struggling with the apron. “Oh come here, I’ll help you with that.” He takes Jisung’s wrist and brings him closer, whirling him around so he can easily tie the apron at the back.

It takes no longer than a few seconds, Jaemin’s agile hands making a knot with the two long pieces of fabric faster than Jisung’s ungainly fingers would allow him. Jisung holds his breath at the proximity but a moment later Jaemin is gone, returning his attention to the recipes, oblivious of the way Jisung stays frozen in place.

“I think it is best to start with something simple.” Jaemin proposes while eyeing a lemon cake recipe. “What do you think of this one?”

Jisung’s eyes focus on the image attached – a very ordinary looking cake without any major decorations – and nods, finding it simple enough. “It looks good.”

“Let’s start, then.”

With all the ingredients and utensils they’ll be needing displayed on the table, they waste no time running around the kitchen to go and fetch them, which simplifies the whole process and reduces Jisung’s probability of messing things up. As this is only the beginning, Jaemin shows Jisung how to make it first, asking him to stand beside him and pay attention to what he does. _As if I was planning on doing anything else,_ Jisung thinks to himself.

For the next half an hour that is all Jisung does – watching Jaemin. Shotaro and Sungchan’s voices in the background subside after two runs through their scenes, the only noises reaching the kitchen being an occasional hurray, a few whines and curses and Jisung’s intuition tells him they have ditched practice for video games.

Yet, the sporadic distant noises are not enough to distract Jisung from the boy in front of him. The fact that he has been given Jaemin’s permission to freely stare at him still feels unreal, but Jisung is making the most of it, taking advantage of this irrefutable opportunity. His gaze traces Jaemin’s every movement, taking note of his cute little habits, like the way his hand hovers over the table, his fingers wiggling in the air, whenever he is looking for a certain ingredient.

Jisung tries to pay attention to how he is mixing the ingredients and which one goes after the other but his eyes keep being captivated by Jaemin’s face. It is far too distracting and suddenly Jisung goes back to the auditorium, back to last semester’s play, back to resting on that dark velvet seat, back to marvelling at the pink haired boy on stage. Back then, Jaemin’s entrancing aura made Jisung unable to remove his eyes from him apart from the times he had to leave the stage, in which Jisung would be restlessly longing for his return. Back then, the several rows of seats separating them weren’t able to stop Jaemin’s charm to take form and float toward Jisung, capturing his heart.

People say it’s always better to observe things from afar, that everything is more beautiful if seen from a considerable distance. Jisung disagrees. What we see from a distance is just a glimpse of something, of someone – the bigger picture. It’s when we get closer that we start seeing the small and important details, that we start breaking down that picture and appreciating each part individually, understanding its value. And even if we may encounter flaws by looking too closely into it, we learn to accept them too or to turn a blind eye on them, because the true form of perfection is nothing but unattainable in this world and no human being can ever truly be deemed as perfect.

Jaemin is no different. Although Jisung would choose him as _his own_ definition of perfection, given how visually stunning, irrevocably talented and genuinely kind and considerate he is, Jisung is aware that Jaemin is a little closed off which makes it difficult to get to know him. Nevertheless, this characteristic which some may call a flaw, is an important piece of information about his crush Jisung is happy to know as he feels more connected to him in a way. He wouldn’t know about it by simply admiring Jaemin from afar, and that is why he considers that the more you know about something or someone, the more beautiful they become to you, despite their imperfections.

“Could you taste this, please?” His daydreaming is cut short by Jaemin’s soft voice, the bowl in which a glistening fluffy batter has been mixed sliding toward Jisung.

He sticks a finger on the batter and takes it to his lips, Jaemin smiling at the satisfying noise Jisung’s vocal cords produce and how he nods his head in approval. “It’s really good.”

"That 's great news.” He sets the bowl on the side and places a new one in front of Jisung with a smile. “Ready to try it on your own now?”

Ready is not the word Jisung would use to describe how he feels at the moment, _nervous_ being a much more accurate one. Nonetheless, he smiles back and with Jaemin reading the recipe out loud and pointing him the necessary ingredients, Jisung finds baking way less intimidating than he thought. Things go by way more smoothly than he expected, the only setback being Jisung not knowing how to properly crack an egg open, resulting in a few egg shells falling into the mixture.

Warmth coats Jisung’s heart when Jaemin does not yell or get frustrated by his mistake, instead taking his time to explain the best way to do it, so as to avoid any egg shells coming along. With everything going so well, Jisung’s goofy personality decides to peak out and he plays with the wooden spoon at the same time as he purposely lowers his voice to impersonate a pastry chef, winning a few chuckles from Jaemin.

While both cakes cook away in the oven, they clean everything up and Jisung, feeling that Jaemin has become a little more laid back, takes the chance to ask him some questions. He learns that Jaemin is an only child and loves cooking, being actually the one who started to bring homemade food to the theatre club lunches, initiating the tradition. Likewise, he is responsible for cooking in the dorm and so he and Shotaro always eat the food Jaemin prepares. This makes Jisung think back to the amount of take out he and Sungchan eat, along with the instantaneous and frozen food they live off of and he must be very bad at hiding his jealousy because a moment later Jaemin is suggesting he teaches him some easy recipes he can try and cook by himself. Thinking he has done enough for today (and knowing his heart can only handle being close to him for a short amount of time), Jisung kindly declines it, recommending they leave it for another day.

Somewhere in the middle of their conversation, when the sweet and citricious smell of the freshly baked cakes overtakes the kitchen and carries to the rest of the house, two heads appear at the door and the four of them enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of cake, which turn into two and then three in a blink of an eye. Once again, Jisung is taken aback by the effortlessness with which conversation flows and how they quickly jump from topic to topic as if they had been friends forever. Jaemin has shown himself to be more talkative than Jisung thought. He figures, his usual quietness must be a way of protecting himself from strangers and people he doesn’t know much about and isn’t comfortable with. The protective layer seems to melt when there are less people around and so he can freely talk and give his opinion about anything and everything in a much more relaxed manner.

Time flies and Jisung jolts in his seat when his eyes lazily flick to the clock, only then realizing how late it is getting.

“Oh goodness, it’s so late! Sungchan I think it is better if we get going.” Jisung says as his gaze lands on his friend, sending him a pointed look when all Sungchan does is pout in return.

“Already?” Shotaro whines as he hooks his arm with Sungchan. “Why don’t you stay for dinner? Jaemin can cook something for all of us.”

“No, no, Jaemin has done enough already by teaching me the lemon cake recipe and sharing all the other ones with me.” Jisung objects and stands up to show that he really intends on leaving. “Besides, I still wanted to look through some of my notes from yesterday’s lectures.”

Jaemin peels himself off the chair as well. “If that is the case, I’ll go wrap the leftover cake for you to take with you. You may use it as a reference when you try it on your own.”

Jisung can’t help the smile that pulls at his lips. “Thanks, Jaemin. I would appreciate that a lot.”

“If you’re really going, then we have to set a date for you to come over again so we can continue that level where we left off.” Shotaro states in a nonchalant way, even though Jisung can see how his fingers are delicately trailing Sungchan’s arm.

Sungchan’s eyes almost double in size. “You’d like me to come and hang out with you again?”

“Of course! Jaemin doesn’t like playing video games so I always play them alone and it gets boring very quickly. But today, I had a great time playing them with you and I had never gotten so far into the game. It’s only fair if we try to complete the rest of the levels together, don’t you think?”

Shotaro tilts his head to one side, while looking at Sungchan with the most innocent eyes and playful smile. Jisung has to stifle a laugh at the way the tip of Sungchan’s ears becomes bright red and he fumblingly attempts to reply.

“O-Okay I would like that.” Then he tears his eyes away from Shotaro and directs his gaze to Jisung. “What if I come with Jisung again next time? While we play games Jaemin can give him another cooking lesson.”

Jisung wants to protest, but Shotaro is clapping excitedly, reminding him of a happy little seal and repeating Sungchan’s idea a bit louder so that Jaemin can hear it and give his say on the matter. It may sound counterintuitive, but Jisung is hoping that Jaemin turns the idea down. To his surprise, however, Jaemin returns with his cake ready to go and a smile, saying how he would not mind being his teacher once again.

“We might even try some savory dishes.” He contemplates. “You did say you both survive on instant food, so it might not be a bad idea at all.”

When they finally leave, Jisung and Sungchan can barely contain their squeals. They did not only manage to spend a whole afternoon with their crushes, but they also left with a promise to return and recreate this entire day. Happy sighs and silly chuckles fill the air that surrounds them as they make their way back to their dorm, humming joyful tunes and jumping excitedly from side to side, both too immersed in their mirthful little bubble.

❣

Cooking by himself reveals itself to be way less exciting and gratifying when he doesn’t have Jaemin by his side. It’s also way messier and tiring given that Jisung does not follow Jaemin’s example of starting by setting all kitchen tools aside along with the ingredients first and instead fetches them one by one.

There are good points, however. The first one is that, thankfully, the recipe is as simple as Jisung remembers it to be and the second one is that Sungchan offers to help him out and together they succeed at making the lemon cake without any mishaps, apart from the fact that it is less visually appealing that Jaemin’s was because some parts unfortunately got stuck to the mold.

Wednesday’s lunch is a little more crowded than the previous week’s with the addition of Sungchan, Kunhang’s roommate Yangyang and two of Mark’s friends Jisung hadn’t met yet. One is Yeri, a childhood friend that apparently is also a cast member but happened to be missing all rehearsals until now due a clash on her schedule she has only been able to sort out recently. The other one is Dejun, Renjun’s roommate who helped Mark write his screenplay.

Throughout the whole lunch, Chenle speaks animatedly with Yangyang, the two of them getting along perfectly after discovering how similar their tastes are. Sungchan has an initial indecision between seating near Jisung and his friends or near Shotaro, who has chosen to sit on the other side of the table, but when his gaze meets Jisung’s the latter is quick to point toward the other boy and so he ends up sitting shyly besides Shotaro. Jeno insists on sitting next to Jisung, wanting to know how the cooking class with Jaemin went.

As a response Jisung places his cake in front of him and signals him to have a piece. “See for yourself.”

Jeno eyes it skeptically, but reaches for a slice anyway and takes a ridiculously small bite, earning a smack from an offended Jisung. A proud smile breaks in his face when Jeno makes an approving noise and goes for a bigger bite this time, almost chugging down the whole slice. “What do you reckon? Was I a good student?”

“A great student.” Jeno agrees with his mouth full and raises the remnants of his slice of cake, inspecting it attentively. “But isn’t this an easy recipe?”

“Why does everyone use that excuse to diminish my efforts? You have never seen me cook, but I am a disaster in the kitchen. The fact that I managed to make that is a huge victory.”

“I testify for the disaster part. It is really a miracle that Jisung didn’t burn anything while baking that cake.” Renjun comments and Jisung rashly grabs a piece of cake and leans over the table to stuff his mouth so he can shut up. Renjun fights against Jisung’s persistent hand, squirming on Mark’s lap as the cake flies around in the air, threatening to fall each time Renjun swats Jisung’s hand away from his face.

Jisung only stops trying to shove it down Renjun’s throat when he feels a gentle grip on his hips, pushing him back down on his chair. “Calm down, otherwise you’ll have Jisu reprimanding you once she catches sight of you two fighting.” Jeno warns with an entertained expression.

“I wasn’t fighting, I was only feeding Renjun.” Jisung counters as he glares at said boy, who is sticking his tongue out in a rather childish manner. “ _Aggressively_.”

“I have my own two hands, there is no need to feed me like a child.” Renjun ripostes.

“If that’s the case, can you explain to me why Mark was feeding you not even 5 minutes ago?” Jisung raises an eyebrow.

“Oh shut up!” Renjun snatches the now damaged slice of cake from Jisung’s hand and slams it into his mouth, while Jeno laughs loudly.

“So, how are things on this side of the table?” Jisu joyfully asks while walking over to their side. “Have you- Ah!” She yelps as she trips over something on the floor and Mark turns at the sound, extending a hand with the intention of preventing her from falling. Thankfully, she remains on her two feet, and does not need it, but the bright smile she carried a second ago, is now replaced by a deep frown as she glares at whatever almost made her fall. She crouches to grab it and when she straightens up, Jisung sees a common-looking black backpack on her hand. “Which one of you left their bag in the way?”

“Isn’t that yours Mark?” Dejun questions upon a first look.

“No, that’s Renjun’s.” Mark corrects. “It has the fox pin I gave him.”

As Renjun sheepishly takes his bag from Jisu and apologizes for leaving it on the floor like that, Jisung whirls around to face Chenle, his expression mirroring the incredulity Jisung is feeling.

“Are you telling me that after bugging me and Chenle for ages and making fun of us for collecting pins and putting them on our bags, you now do it as well?” Jisung says outraged.

“That’s a low move, Renjun.” Chenle scowls and crosses his arms over his chest.

Mark places his chin on top of Renjun’s shoulder and looks up at him, tightening his hold around his boyfriend’s waist . “Wait, didn’t you tell them the story?”

“Oh Mark, not that story!” Renjun groans and Jisung glances at Chenle only to see him as confused as him.

“What story?”

“There’s no story!”

“The one about how we met.”

“Seriously Mark, there are moments where you are so much more beautiful with your mouth shut.”

“Oh, if they don’t know it, please let me narrate it.” Dejun pleads and Mark gives him the green light despite Renjun’s sonorous protests that eventually cause Yuna to turn her head in his direction.

“For the love of god, Renjun, what are you being so loud for?” She complains.

“They want to share how Mark and I first started talking. Please make them stop.” He implores, even going as far as putting his hands together in a prayer, which leaves Jisung wondering what could Renjun have possibly done for him to be reacting like this.

“Oh my, I love that story. Everyone!” She calls while clapping her hands together to get everyone’s attention. “You gotta listen to how Mark and Renjun got together. Go ahead Dejun, share it with the audience.” Yuna enables him and Renjun snarls a _“I hate you”_ , obtaining a flying kiss in return.

“As Renjun’s roommate, I have been on the receiving end of countless late-night rambling sessions about Mark, but the worst of them all, were the ones when Renjun first started crushing on him.” Dejun barely dodges a swing of Renjun’s arm before Mark grabs it and holds it close to him, drawing little circles over his boyfriend’s wrist in both a calming and apologetic way.

Dejun continues after checking it is safe to do so. “Something you need to be aware of is that Renjun was completely whipped for Mark and would spend the entire lunch break sketching him discreetly from the other side of the cafeteria, while Mark, being the little nerd he is, had his head constantly buried in his notebook, writing his novels.”

“Oh my God, are you serious?” Chenle cuts in, astonished.

“Shh, no interruptions.” Dejun scolds before carrying on. “When the news that the drama club needed people to paint the sets for the new play spread out, Renjun volunteered to do it, only to find out Mark was part of the club as the playwright. This led to him also spending his time during rehearsals sketching Mark, without them having properly spoken with each other yet.”

“An important detail to point out is that Renjun and Mark’s bags had – and still have – the same design and colour, which made it really easy for them to swap them. One day, Mark accidentally took Renjun’s bag with him, only realizing it wasn’t his when he got home and opened it up. To see who it was from he looked inside it and pulled out a sketchbook, only to see it was full of Renjun’s drawings of himself.”

A wave of gasps echoes from all those listening attentively to the story and Renjun hides his face on the crook of Mark’s neck, feeling embarrassed.

“After that, Mark quickly found out who the bag belonged to and asked Renjun if he wanted to have a coffee with him when he returned his bag. The rest is history.” Dejun finishes and chatter erupts once again, multiple voices overlapping as everyone shares what they think of the couple’s love story.

“I can’t believe how cliché that was, Renjun. You really are such a stereotypical art student.” Chenle cackles, while shaking his head.

“You’re so cute.”

“That is movie plot worthy.”

“You have to write a screenplay based on it, Mark!”

“Then, the pin is for you to differentiate your bags.” Jaemin deduces, surprising Jisung by showing interest in their story as well.

Mark nods at him. “We did swap our bags a couple more times, so Jeno came up with the idea of each of us buying a pin, so we could finally tell them apart.”

“That’s such a romantic story.” Jaemin sighs dreamily, and Ryujin laughs from beside him.

“How is that romantic? They kept switching bags, I can’t even imagine how much of an inconvenience it was.”

“It’s not about that, Ryujin!” Jaemin chides. “It’s about all the effort Renjun put into making those drawings of Mark and how he liked him enough to want to have his sketchbook full of his features. It's sweet having someone liking you to the point where they take their time to capture you like that.”

“You're a hopeless romantic, aren’t you Jaemin?” Ryujin taunts with a smirk.

“And you’re so anti-romance.” Jaemin shoots back.

“I’m sorry if I can only find it creepy.”

“This is why you are still single.”

“Jaemin, sweety, I am an independent woman. I need no one.” Ryujin affirms and Jaemin clicks his tongue and despite Jisung enjoying watching their friendly banter, he averts his gaze abruptly when Jeno jabs him on the side.

“What was that for?” Jisung hisses at the sharp pain jolting from his side, his hand immediately flying there to massage the place gently, in hopes of soothing the pain.

Jeno tilts his head toward Jaemin. “Go offer him a slice of the cake you made.”

Jisung looks at the scarce slices on the food container he brought, shifting his gaze to Jeno again. “Isn't it going to seem a little weird if I go out of my way to offer him one?”

“Why would it? You just have to say it is a way of thanking him for having helped you on Saturday.” Jeno seems to sense Jisung's hesitancy because he continues. “If you feel awkward giving it only to him, take the tupperware with you and offer some to Ryujin as well. Besides, isn't your roommate sitting near him? You can pretend to be bringing a slice to him and then casually ask them if they want one. Then thank Jaemin for Saturday and come back.” Jeno smiles encouragingly. “It's as simple as that.”

“Everything is easier said than done.” Jisung grumbles but Jeno urges him to stand up and promptly thrusts the tupperware in his hands. He then spins him around and pushes him toward the other side of the table.

Jisung glares at him as he stumbles a little from the strong push, almost dropping the plastic container he is holding. Jeno ushers him to keep going and Jisung turns his back on him and focuses on the path ahead. He inhales deeply, before marching to where Sungchan is happily chatting with Shotaro, just across from Jaemin and Ryujin.

“Sungchan,” He calls out as he approaches them, seeing the conversation between him and Shotaro coming to a halt as well as Jaemin and Ryujin’s bickering as they all turn their attention to him. He falters for a second at the four pairs of eyes on him, but tries to hide his nerves with a smile. “Our lemon cake is getting pretty famous on the other side of the table.” He proclaims as he places the container in the middle of the four of them and steps back. “I thought it was better to bring you a few slices before it's all gone.” Jisung gestures for them to dig in and telepathically thanks Sungchan for being the first one to extend a hand toward it, Shotaro rapidly copying him.

“It 's good!” The latter compliments and moves the container closer to Jaemin and Ryujin. “It is very similar to the one you did on Saturday.”

“Oh, thank you.” Jisung says feeling a little flustered. His eyes then shoot up to meet Jaemin, and he doesn’t lose any time and takes Shotaro’s cue to thank him. “Speaking of Saturday, thank you for accepting to help me. You really didn’t have to.”

“There is no need to thank me.” Jaemin waves a hand dismissively. “It was fun having someone with me in the kitchen for a change. Usually Shotaro only appears when food is ready and disappears right after dinner ends, running away from having to wash the dishes.” Jaemin discloses with an impish grin and Shotaro begins fabricating excuses, trying to explain his behaviour. Jisung catches Ryujin carefully picking a slice of cake and biting into it, nodding slowly as she chews, proceeding to grab another one and handing it to Jaemin, who distractedly accepts it as he rolls his eyes at Shotaro’s senseless talking.

Feeling like his purpose has been fulfilled when Jaemin raises the cake to his mouth and eats a portion, Jisung returns to his seat, coming back to Chenle showing Jeno the pins adorning his bag.

“Jisung, I have discovered another pin-enthusiast!” Chenle says with a huge grin on his face as he points at Jeno.

“You like pins as well?” Jisung asks him, as he resumes his seat, in the middle of them.

Jeno does a small head movement in confirmation. “I do. I don't collect them like you said you did, but I occasionally go to a pin shop near campus to inspect what they have and buy a few that catch my attention.”

Jisung fully tunes in at that. “There’s a pin shop close to campus? Where? You must take us there!”

“It’s nothing special and it’s pretty small.” Jeno shrugs as if he means to deem it as insignificant but that does not make Jisung and Chenle feel less excited about visiting it.

“Doesn’t matter. Jisung and I have been buying them online for the longest time, it’s so cool knowing we have a shop that is close to us, now!”

Jeno seems a little taken aback by their enthusiasm, definitely not acquainted with their passion for pins, and Jisung thinks there is a moment of hesitation before he says, “Then, what about we visit it today, after classes?”

Jisung and Chenle vehemently agree and for the rest of the day the thought of the pin shop does not leave Jisung’s mind, excitement running through his veins.

Their love for pins started when they were in elementary school. Jisung had accidentally stepped on one in the hallway and picked it up. It was a pinback button saying: **_My favourite number of the alphabet is purple._** Jisung was perplexed by it at first and when he showed it to Renjun, the older boy had looked at it weirdly and told Jisung to get rid of it. He didn’t, though. There was something about the pin that made Jisung want to hold on to it, the nonsense of the saying somehow alluring to him. Contrary to Renjun’s advice, he put it in his backpack, where Chenle noticed it later that day and considered it to be the coolest thing ever.

From then on, it kinda became an inside joke and they would search for the most nonsensical pins online, coming across things like: **_Do bees even have knees?_** , ** _I jump in_ _puddles_ **and **_One by one the penguins steal my sanity_**. Renjun never really got it and would scold them for spending money on such useless and absurd things, but that didn’t stop Jisung and Chenle from increasing their pin collection and covering their bags with them.

If it wasn’t for Jeno leading the way and suddenly stopping, Jisung and Chenle would have probably passed by the shop without even noticing it. It is quite cramped inside, too many shelves and other pieces of furniture placed without much thought on the limited space, making it slightly difficult to navigate through it. As soon as they step in, Chenle is immediately attracted to the sports pins, as his latest tendency is buying basketball related pins. Jeno trails behind Jisung, who wanders mindlessly around, inspecting the shop first. Since he is much more familiarized with it and has a better notion of the space and where everything is, Jisung does not question when Jeno places his hand on the small of his back, guiding him through the shop and firmly gripping his coat and pulling him back whenever he gets dangerously close to hitting something with his bag.

“Jeno! It’s been a while since you last came!” A voice comes from the counter, startling Jisung who turns swiftly and almost knocks down a whole shelf, if not for Jeno who is quick to steady it.

Behind the counter is a boy who must be around their age, maybe a few years older, grinning at them as he shifts his attention from the book in his hands.

“Hey Kevin, how are you?”

“Doing fine.” He points toward Jisung with his chin and lets his eyes fall on Chenle, who has stayed near the entrance. “I see you have company this time.”

“I might have gotten you two loyal customers here.” Jeno smirks and hints to the various pins scattered across Jisung’s bag.

Kevin’s eyes seem to shimmer when he notices them and motions for Jisung to come closer, so he can take a better look at them. To Jisung’s delight, Kevin shares his weird love for random sayings and is completely sold on each of Jisung’s pins, zealously examining them and complimenting Jisung on his good taste. After he finishes admiring them, he leaves the counter to show him a special section of the shop that is filled with pins containing the most weird sayings, much like the ones Jisung likes to collect. Contrary to Jisung’s prediction, it is a fairly large shelf of pins and he has to hold back the euphoria threatening to spill out of him in the form of high-pitched screams and screeches when Kevin presents him his personal favourites, which are exactly Jisung’s type of humor.

As he dives into the wide variety of pins in front of him, picking all of those who catch his eye (which are most of them) to closely inspect them, Jisung loses track of time and falls into a daze, fully immersing himself in the small objects passing through his hands. He only steps out of it when Jeno appears at his side and nudges his arm softly.

“It’s starting to get dark outside. We should get going.” He advises as he beholds the window and Jisung follows his gaze to realize how the previously blue sky has turned into a mix of oranges and pinks, the sun a red ball of fire hiding behind the tall city buildings.

“Already?” Jisung’s eyes bulge as he lifts his sleeve to take a look at his wristwatch, confirming they have been inside the shop for a long time. “Time went by in a flash. It feels like we just got here a couple minutes ago.”

“It’s like they say, time always goes by faster when we are doing something we love.” Jeno wisely says, laughing airily at Jisung’s pout.

“It shouldn’t though, I didn’t even get to see the whole store.”

“You are always welcome to come back.” Kevin assures with a warm smile. “That section will be waiting for you.”

“This is a really cool shop. We’ll definitely be coming back.” Chenle guarantees as he finally detaches himself from the sports section and joins Jeno and Jisung further into the shop, placing two enamel pins on the counter.

“I’ll be expecting you, then.” Kevin says as he opens the cashier to put away the note Chenle gave him to pay for the pins. His gaze then falls on Jisung. “What about you? Did you get too overwhelmed to buy anything?”

Jisung scratches the nape of his neck, feeling guilty for having spent an hour looking through countless pins, only to leave the shop empty-handed, but the truth is that he did get a little dazed after witnessing the huge amount of pins in the shop. There are so many good ones he would like to have that his mind cannot choose only some of them and so he opts for not buying anything, leaving it for his next visit, which he knows will be very soon.

“Yeah, something like that. My mind got a bit confused with all the different options, so it’s either I take nothing, or I buy the whole shop.” He lets out a short chuckle, an apologetic smile spreading on his face. “I promise I’ll take something next time.”

“It’s cool if you don’t, you know? Just strolling around the shop is fine as well, but remember to bring Jeno along next time as well. He saved your ass from knocking down at least two whole shelves.” Kevin suggests with a smirk and Jisung ducks his head in embarrassment, silently condemning his own clumsiness.

“Yeah, you might want to keep an eye on Jisung whenever he comes into your shop. My friend and I call him a human disaster and we even got him a pin saying that.” Chenle shares, blithely, and Jisung scowls at him, not liking how he is forthrightly exposing him to a stranger.

“You don’t have to worry, though.” Jeno places a hand on Jisung’s shoulder and the latter looks at him, upon the gentle touch. “I won’t let him come here by himself.”

“You say it in a comforting way...but why am I not feeling comforted at all?” Jisung frowns and Jeno ruffles his hair affectionately, bidding Kevin farewell and leading them to the exit.

“That was insane.” Chenle says when they leave the shop. “No more buying online. Seeing them in real life and getting to touch them and weighting them in your hands is a whole other experience.”

“So, you liked it?”

“I did!” Jisung smiles widely in response, his momentaneous grumpy self being left behind as the bubbliness in him shows once again. “This is the best place ever!”

Jeno laughs at Jisung’s glee and looks at him with fond eyes as Jisung bounces down the street as if he has just won the lottery. “If I knew you would like it so much I would have mentioned it earlier.”

Jisung spins on his heels and starts walking backwards, which Chenle instantly reprimands him for, saying he will most likely fall or crash into someone if he keeps it up, but is blatantly ignored by a determined-looking Jisung.

“Because you kept this place a secret from us, it’s only fair if you buy us a pin each the next time we come!” He decrees and Chenle cheers noisily, totally on board with the idea, the two of them going on about which pin they should choose, turning a deaf ear to Jeno’s objections.

“Oh, by the way!” Chenle voices out suddenly as he remembers something along their walk back to campus. “The basketball team is having their first game of the season next weekend. Can I count on you two to come and cheer for me?”

Jeno pretends to think hard. “Hm, if I go...am I freed from having to buy you a pin?”

Chenle looks at him cheekily. “Absolutely not.”

“Don’t expect me there, then.” It’s Jeno’s snarky reply, but both Chenle and Jisung can tell there isn’t a real bite to it.

❣

Jeno ends up going to the game anyway. It was a given, but he enjoyed claiming he wouldn’t go just to spite Chenle, who was aware they were nothing but lies, but still went along with it, pretending to believe him so that Jeno could continue having fun bluffing. The main problem here is that Jeno – Jisung has found out – is too much of a good person which makes him a terrible liar. Out of all his friends, Jeno has been the one pushing him to be proactive and approach Jaemin, coming up with ideas for them to speak with each other and being always the first one to text him to know how everything went. Other than that, during rehearsals, Jeno is always ready to offer a hand to anyone that needs it. For now, he doesn’t have a lot of work to do as part of the stage crew, so during the readings he often fills in for people who forget their lines or replaces those who aren’t present.

He is also attentive of others and has been sharing his notes with Chenle so he can complete his own, having picked up on how he zones out during lectures and fails to keep up with the professor. His empathy and desire to make people feel welcomed and integrated is the reason why Jisung and Chenle now have joined Jeno, Kunhang and Yangyang at lunch every day, for which Jisung is very thankful as the two other boys are a lot of fun to be around.

It’s with the three of them that Jisung goes to the game. Jeno and Jisung agree to meet beforehand at Kunhang and Yanyang’s dorm to hang out for a bit and help them make a huge sign with a _Go Chenle!_ painted on it. It was Yangyang’s idea and Jisung knows Chenle will despise it and want to chop their heads off once he sees them waving it in the air during the game. So, to make sure they all stay with their heads connected to their bodies, Jisung managed to convince Kunhang not to buy the enormous cardboard he initially wanted and prohibited them from writing anything too humiliating. It was a battle refusing Yanyang’s plan of covering the cheer sign with Chenle’s baby photos with even Jeno – who is usually the most reasonable one – pestering him to show them the old relics.They settle with Jisung’s option of bathing the sign in glitter instead, although they keep grumbling about how amazing it would have been if they had a photo of 5 year old Chenle right below his name.

Half an hour before the game starts, they arrive at the still quite empty gymnasium. They quarrel briefly about the best seats, eventually deciding to sit on the lower rows, closer to the field where Chenle is bound to see their crafted sign. As a consequence of losing a game of rock, paper, scissors Jisung and Jeno have to buy food and drinks for the four of them, taking advantage of the fact that there aren’t any queues yet.

“Are you sure you want to confine me with this responsibility?” Jisung plays his _I am the clumsiest human being on earth_ card to see if he can somehow persuade either Kunhang or Yanyang to go in his place, but to his dismay the two of them don’t seem like they’ll fall for his tatic.

“You lost rock, paper, scissors, dude. God has chosen you.” Kunhang shrugs, indifferent.

“The faster you go, the faster you come.” Yanyang sings cheerily and shoos them away. Jisung grimaces as he realizes he will really have to go.

“I can’t promise you your precious corn dogs won’t end up on the floor or your refreshing drinks split over someone else's clothes.” He shouts over his shoulder as he follows Jeno, receiving a shit-eating grin from Yanyang in return and a dismissing hand gesture from Kunhang.

There are indeed no queues, only a couple ordering in front of them and Jisung thinks about the positive side of things – at least if he accidentally trips on his own feet, there aren’t a lot of people around to witness it. When it is their turn to order, Jisung’s phone buzzes with a message from Renjun saying he and Mark are almost there. He tells him where Kunhang and Yangyang are sitting and asks if they want anything, ushering him to say it quickly as Jeno is almost finishing ordering. When he gets his reply, he reads it out loud for Jeno and then they step aside and wait for the food to be ready.

“Did you get to see Chenle today?” Jeno asks leisurely as he buries his hands in the back pocket of his jeans.

“Not really, but I texted him this morning wishing him good luck. He was really pumped about the game.”

“Same here. What about Sungchan? How was he?”

“A rollercoaster of emotions.” Jisung pinches the bridge of his nose as he remembers yesterday’s night. “One minute he would be jumping around, too excited to stay still and the next he would be lying on the couch, eyes unblinking, too terrified to move. I had to give him my sleeping pills, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to sleep properly.”

“It’s his first match, it’s normal to be nervous.” Jeno nods in an understanding manner. “He must be putting a lot of pressure on himself to show he deserves to be on the team.”

“Exactly.” Jisung agrees. “He doesn’t want to disappoint anyone. Part of the reason he was so worked up yesterday was because Shotaro told him he was coming to the game and he really wants to impress him.”

Jisung's eyes widen as he realizes, belatedly, he has just revealed Sungchan's crush. He turns to Jeno with a guilty look on his eyes and the other raises a hand and trails it over his mouth, as if closing an imaginary zipper.

“Nothing will leave my mouth. Your secret is safe with me.” He tries to say it in a mysterious tone and Jisung would have giggled at that if he wasn’t so bugged by having blurted out his friend’s secret to someone else with so much ease.

“I can't believe it just slipped like that.” Jisung covers his mouth as if wanting to prevent it from sharing anything else, but he is glad that of all people Jeno was the one he unintentionally disclosed it to. He knows him well enough to be confident he will keep it entirely to himself, which doesn’t make him feel so bad.

“Speaking of Shotaro,” Just as expected Jeno brushes off the news like they are nothing, changing the topic, and Jisung silently thanks him for it. “if he is coming, do you think Jaemin will come as well?”

That is something that didn’t even cross Jisung’s mind, but now that he thinks about it, it is quite plausible that Shotaro may drag Jaemin with him.

“Do you think he would come?” Jisung cringes at the hopefulness in his own voice. “Does he even like basketball?”

Jeno shrugs. “Have no idea, but Renjun dislikes sports and is coming anyway.”

“He is only coming because of how persistent and annoying Chenle was. He kept spamming him with messages every morning until Renjun woke up with 100 messages one day and finally gave in.”

“That, and also because Mark promised to come and support Yukhei. We all know how Renjun cannot go an hour without Mark by his side.” Jeno adds and turns back to the counter when his name is called – their order ready.

Jeno is thoughtful and kind enough to hand Jisung the corn dogs, carrying the heavy drinks himself. Jisung wants to help but he thinks that by having the least amount of things in his hands he is already doing himself and Jeno a favour and so they start heading back toward the bleachers. The gymnasium is roaring now, most seats occupied and Jisung slows down his pace as he walks back to where Kunhang and Yangyang are seated, careful not to drop anything as he asks those in the way to let him pass. It’s not easy but they manage to arrive with all food and drinks safely in their arms and Mark immediately jumps to his feet when he sees them, holding out a hand to help.

They eat and chat happily while waiting for the game to start but for Jisung the conversation quickly becomes background noise as his eyes travel the gym to see if he can spot any familiar face – which is just another way of saying he is looking for Jaemin. It takes a while, but surely his eyes stop on a light pink head, on the opposite side of the gym, on the higher seats. Shotaro is shifting energetically on his seat, his mouth constantly moving as if he is talking nonstop, while Jaemin’s eyes seem to be fixed on the gymnasium doors which is where the teams will be emerging from. He looks very good and as Jisung analyzes his outfit he notices just how classy Jaemin is dressed. His eyes diverge to Jeno, who is sitting next to him and Jisung moves his gaze between the two of them, comparing their clothes. Jeno is dressed simply but charmingly, very much in brand with his everyday style – a pair of jeans, an ordinary navy blue polo and white sneakers. Jaemin, on the other hand, is wearing black skinny jeans and a tucked short-sleeved white shirt, with the first buttons undone and a necklace lying around his neck, its pendant – which shape Jisung cannot see clearly – resting against his exposed skin. His hair is done differently as well, pushed back and making him look slightly older and Jisung’s eyes are glued to him, amazed by how attractive he looks.

Nevertheless, in the midst of the chaos in Jisung’s mind, a thought stands out: _Why is Jaemin so well dressed for a college basketball game?_

Jisung’s attention shifts to Shotaro and he frowns. Shotaro is dressed casually, even though Jisung can tell he has paid more attention to his looks, not missing the shiny earrings in his ears. Despite that special touch, there is a stark contrast between him and Jaemin and Jisung has the impression that, wherever Jaemin is going after this, Shotaro most probably won’t be the one going with him. His mind supplies the possibility of him having gone somewhere before the game, but he looks fresh and clean – his shirt perfectly ironed, so he rapidly throws that out the window. Jaemin is dressed to impress and Jisung can’t ignore the first thought that pops in his head when his eyes flick to him again.

_Jaemin is going on a date._

It hits him harder than he was expecting and he must have let out an involuntary noise, because the next second, Jeno is looking at him with worried eyes.

“Jisung?” He calls softly, his head tilting to the side so he can take a better look at his face. “Are you alright?”

Jisung feels a lump forming in his throat, his eyes still locked on the pink-haired boy sitting on the bleachers opposite them. Jeno’s warm hand on his thigh makes him tear away his gaze and he finds a pair of big chocolate brown eyes looking straight at him with concern.

He nods weakly and tries to smile, but he has never been good at masking his emotions so it must look as fake as it feels forced to Jisung. Jeno notices it, his brows furrowing and he presses his lips in a thin line. The hand on his thigh squeezes it a little and Jisung goes to grab it and bring it to his lap, where he plays with Jeno’s slender fingers while trying to collect the raging thoughts scattered on his mind. Jeno says nothing and lets him be, but Jisung feels his eyes on him every now and then, checking to see if he is okay.

To be honest, Jisung doesn’t know what to feel. With the amount of thoughts popping up in his head, each causing him to experience different emotions, Jisung is just feeling overwhelmed at the moment. He needs to keep himself occupied so that the incessant buzz in his head can die down and he can finally settle on a single thought. For that reason he focuses on Jeno’s hand, tracing the prominent blue veins on the back of it with his fingers until he gets bored and turns it around trailing the lines in his palm, instead. He observes how long Jeno’s fingernails are and how well kept they are and bit by bit he feels his cloudy mind start to clear as he keeps fiddling with his fingers.

As he twiddles with them, he notes a tiny mole on Jeno’s pointer finger. He looks up to tell him about it and is surprised to find Jeno already staring at him. They keep their gazes on each other and Jisung feels peaceful as his mind goes completely blank for the first time since he saw Jaemin. He only realizes he hasn’t said anything when Jeno raises an eyebrow and Jisung’s eyes flick to the hand on his lap.

“You have a mole on your finger.” He mumbles out but it sounds more like a statement rather than a question, so he adds, "It 's pretty.”

Jeno doesn’t reply but his thumb moves to caress Jisung’s hand, the movement so gentle and relaxing that he yelps when everyone around them stands up and begins yelling and shouting at the two teams who are entering the gym. It’s only when the loud cheers quiet down and people return to their seats, that Jisung notices he is gripping Jeno’s hand tightly, and quickly lets go of it.

Jeno disregards Jisung’s whispered apologies and places his hand on his lap once again. “If it helps you, then please, continue.” Jisung opens his mouth to protest but he speaks faster than him. “I won’t mind. Seriously.”

The tenderness in his voice and the sincerity in his eyes make Jisung hesitantly go back to fumbling with his fingers, his attention being drawn to the field as the screeching noise of a whistle marks the start of the game.

Laughter bubbles inside him every time Kunhang and Yangyang wave the sign in the air and chant Chenle's name like it is a mantra. Especially when Renjun complains about them being too loud and asks them to tone it down, only to be rewarded with even louder shouts than before.

The agitation around him helps him take his mind off things and he does follow the game, cheering for their team whenever they score. However, that only lasts for so long as he keeps his eyes away from the opposite side of the gym, which unfortunately isn't a long time.

His eyes land on Jaemin, effortlessly, without having been ordered to and despite his desire to look away, he can't. At first he thinks Jaemin is watching the game like any other person in the crowd, but as he pays close attention to him, Jisung understands that isn't the case.

Jaemin isn't following the game. He is following someone.

It's easy to track the player and Jisung doesn't know who his mind thought the person would be, but it wasn't Donghyuck. He keeps looking between them, making sure his eyes are not deceiving him, but the more he does it, the more he realizes he isn't mistaken. Jaemin is not simply watching him when he has the ball, his eyes are glued to Donghyuck even when he is the farthest away from the ball.

It doesn't take him a long time to put two and two together and he feels the lump returning to his throat, his mind racing with questions to which Jisung isn't ready to look for answers yet. His gaze drops to his lap as he starts feeling overwhelmed again and he tries to distract himself with Jeno's fingers once more, massaging the mole he discovered minutes ago.

He doesn't raise his head again until the end of the game. Not even when Chenle scores and his friends stand up and cheer loudly for him or when someone pushes harshly one of the older players and everyone surrounding him gasps and curses at them. He knows that if he is to do as much as glimpse at the field, his eyes will automatically betray him and look for Jaemin. Seeing his eyes shining like they hold stars in them is all Jisung’s heart wants him to do, but his mind keeps reminding him the reason why they are there in the first place is because of Donghyuck. So he listens to it and keeps staring at his lap for the rest of the game.

With his hand on Jisung’s grasp, Jeno stays seated beside him, only cheering occasionally and chatting with Kunhang from time to time. Jisung doesn’t miss the worried glances he throws at him and how his thumb draws gentle circles on his skin to comfort him.

When the sound of the whistle cuts through the air, announcing the end of the game, Jisung feels relief wash over him as he finally allows himself to raise his head. His neck hurts like hell and he massages it slowly so he can relieve some of the pain. He doesn’t even need to peer at the field to discover who won the game as Yangyang is screaming Chenle’s name at the top of his lungs and Kunhang is waving the sign like a maniac, even hitting Jeno’s face with it. His funny expression wins a giggle from Jisung and Jeno turns to look at him.

“How are you? Are you feeling sick?”

Jisung shakes his head but doesn’t find it in him to talk about it, simply holding Jeno's hand tighter. “Thank you.”

That’s all he says and Jeno doesn’t push any further, even though Jisung can see it is taking everything in him not to. Instead, his fingers twist in Jisung’s hold to intertwine their hands. “Do you want to stay here for a little, or should we go congratulate Chenle?” He asks in a hushed tone.

Jisung observes as the people start coming down to the field to praise the team. He pinpoints Shotaro and Sungchan among the crowd, hugging each other, the widest smiles in their faces. His eyes rapidly shoot up to look back at Jeno before he has time to notice any pink-hair hanging around them. Despite the fact that Jisung wants to congratulate Chenle and Sungchan for their first game, going down there is not a good idea. Not when Jaemin must be down there too, complimenting Donghyuck.

“I'll just wait for Chenle outside. I need to get some air.” He rises up from his seat, disconnecting their hands in the process, but Jeno stands up with him.

“I'll go with you.”

“No need. I'm fine, I just need to get out for a while.”

“I'll go with you.” And this time his tone is clear and firm, leaving no room for protest. His eyes are set and even though Jisung feels bad for being the reason Jeno couldn’t pay full attention to the game and though he doesn't want to keep getting in the way of Jeno having fun tonight, he gives in.

The air outside is gratefully fresh, and Jisung’s lips stretch into a huge grin when he notices the sun has set and the blue sky has given place to a vast charcoal blanket, beautifully sprinkled with tiny shiny dots that surround a particular shy moon in its waning crescent phase.

Tonight the stars are more visible than on the night he practiced his lines with Sungchan. His eyes may be playing a trick on him, but he thinks the stars are shining with a different intensity this time. They are no longer timid, no longer allowing the moon to stand out at their expense. For a change, they are the center of the painting, not a mere detail added to fill the previously lonely and dull sky. Their glow is almost seductive, lurring the eyes to focus on them.

“What are you looking for?” Jeno murmurs as if speaking any louder would disturb the quietness of the night.

Despite that, it still catches Jisung off guard and he looks at him quizzically. “What do you mean?”

Jeno glances at the sky above them. “You've been staring at the stars fervently. It's like you are searching for something in them.”

A nostalgic smile spreads on his face as he recalls an old memory. “It has become a habit of mine since childhood.” He declares and he joins Jeno in admiring the night sky. “When I was young, my mother would always tell me to go look at the stars whenever I misbehaved. She would tell me there was a hidden lesson within them and it was my duty to find it. I could only return to her when I had understood the lesson the stars were trying to teach me and for me to do that, I had to search hard for it.” Jisung pauses as he remembers the little him staring wide-eyed at the window, searching so hard among the stars he would fall asleep on his windowsill. “It took me a while to comprehend what she wanted me to do, what was that lesson she kept talking about. But as I kept stargazing, I started to understand what the message she wanted to send across was.”

“The whole point was not to _stare at_ the stars but to _see_ _beyond_ them. I needed to get lost in them to find the reasons that led me to do whatever had upset my mother. I had to understand what I had done was wrong and search for the forgiveness of the stars. I would return to her after finding it and only then could she accept my apology, knowing it was sincere as the stars had already accepted it.”

There is no response for a long time which makes Jisung think Jeno has not been listening or got lost somewhere in the middle. He tears his eyes away from the sky and directs them to the boy beside him. Jeno is already looking at him and Jisung doesn’t know if his mind makes it up or if it is just the glow of the stars that is reflected on Jeno’s eyes when he stares into them, but they seem to be twinkling, a strong emotion he can’t quite decipher swirling inside them.

Jisung looks away when Jeno’s gaze becomes too intense and he starts thinking he may have shared too much or that his childhood story is silly, if it left Jeno without knowing what to say.

“Sorry for having talked so much.” He peers down at the floor, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “I feel like it made you uncomfortable.”

“No, not at all.” Jeno recovers his voice and shakes his head frantically. “That is a wonderful memory. Your mother is very wise.”

“She is the wisest person I know.” Jisung smiles fondly as he pictures her in his head. “When there was any problem she was the first one I would run to. She always knew how to solve it, no matter what it was and I learned a lot from her. I started associating the stars with her whenever I was away from home. Until now, they are still linked in my mind and if I am having a hard-time or feeling down, I’ll search for the stars as seeing them always manages to lift my mood and make me feel better.”

“That is beautiful.” Jeno says in the quietest tone, a tender smile on his lips and that same emotion Jisung can't place, in his eyes. “I’m glad you shared it with me.” His gaze reverts to the sky. “Did they help you feel better tonight?”

As his eyes trail back to the glimmering dots covering the pitch-black void hanging above their heads, he knows they have. Their purpose tonight was to comfort him, to tell him that no matter what happens they will be right there for him, a constant he can count on.

“They did. They always do.”

❣

For someone whose eyes kept shifting toward his crush everytime they were in the same room, it baffles him how he didn’t pick up on any of the signs before. It was all there. Right in front of him. His tunnel vision being the only thing impeding him from acknowledging it.

The stolen glances at each other when they think the other isn’t looking during the Wednesday lunches. The carefully estimated distance between the two, allowing them to “unintentionally” brush their hands against each other during rehearsals. The flushed cheeks at a small compliment, the hesitant sheen in their eyes before moving closer and making sure their shoulders are touching ever so slightly. The flirting remarks thrown in the middle of conversations resulting in red ears and lowered heads, in an attempt to hide gleeful smiles. The mysterious reason as to why Donghyuck has started to arrive at the theatre rehearsals in time. It all makes sense now.

Jisung is even reevaluating his impression of both Donghyuck and Jaemin on that first meeting when they sat next to each other. Their actions are gaining a whole new meaning now that he knows of their feelings toward one another. Slowly the puzzle starts putting itself together, the pieces fitting perfectly together.

It’s not easy for him. His heart clenches everytime he sees them being sweet to each other. His ears modify Jaemin’s melodic laughter to Donghyuck’s silly jokes, carrying a layer of sadness, adding a bitter undertone. His eyes are still not trained to look away whenever Jaemin appears in his line of vision, which results in him noticing things he would much prefer to ignore.

It's even worse when he starts to see who Donghyuck really is. People say hatred comes easier than any other emotion when you are feeling heartbroken and Jisung thinks he would be coping a lot better if there was something he could hate about Donghyuck. All he feels toward him, though, is annoyance and gratitude. Annoyance, because Donghyuck is irritatingly good at anything he does and is always ready to accept any challenge. He is handsome, the star player of the basketball team, an exemplary student and – as Jisung has later found out – a great actor as well and it annoys Jisung how he can make everything seem so effortless. Gratitude, because of the way he treats Jaemin. Although it hurts not being the one those breathtaking smiles and sparkling eyes are directed to, Jisung is grateful for Donghyuck and how happy he makes Jaemin.

Rehearsals are becoming more serious and thus more difficult now. Everyone is now working hard on their assigned parts and the real acting is finally expected to come out. That means that besides his tone and knowing when his cues are, Jisung is starting to pay more attention to the way he moves as well as conveys his feelings with his facial expressions and posture. Sicheng has been helping him a lot with this and they stay behind after rehearsals, sometimes. The movement director guides him when it comes to the interpretation of his character and his personal traits, so that Jisung understands how he is supposed to move and walk around the stage.

However, that is not the only reason why rehearsals now have a different vibe to them. Jisung doesn’t really know how he didn’t notice before, but Donghyuck got the role of one of the siblings which means he and Jaemin have most of their scenes together. Since they have lead roles, they are almost always on stage and have many lines to go through, which means ignoring them or trying to avert his eyes from them in those situations is incredibly difficult. You would think Jisung can at least have a break from watching them on the rare occasions they leave the stage, but his eyes linger on them even then, as if he has been enchanted not to take his eyes off them for as long as they are in the same room.

It’s interesting how people around them don’t seem to notice anything, no matter how obvious it is for Jisung. Their eyes seem to magically shift away from the two whenever they do something more noticeable like leaning in to whisper something in the other’s ear or placing their hand not so discreetly on the other’s thigh.

Jeno is one of the exceptions. During one of the rehearsals when the lightning crew is discussing the lightning they will be using given the atmosphere of the production and the different acts and scenes that compose it, Jeno asks Jisung to be his light walker.

“What does that mean?”

“It’s basically a lightning test. You don't have to do much. Just stand on stage and move accordingly to what I say. I'll cast different lights on you to see what they look like on your body.” Jeno explains and Jisung agrees, stepping on stage and following Jeno's orders.

The cast is practicing in small groups and pairs this time, all scattered around the auditorium as the stage is being majorly used by the lightning crew and the creative team, which consists of those working on the sets and props.

Jaemin and Donghyuck are sitting together in one corner and Jisung is seriously trying to avoid looking at them, focusing on Jeno's directions instead, but his body is stubborn and won't listen to him, his eyes drifting toward their corner more times than Jisung would like to admit. They are running their lines during most of the time which says a lot about their dedication to the play and how much they value their roles and take them seriously. It's on their sporadic breaks that Jisung pinpoints a slight change in their behaviour. It’s like a switch has been turned on and suddenly they are all flirtatious winks, dally smirks, tempting touches, quiet giggles and Jisung doesn’t understand why his eyes won’t look away if it hurts seeing them like this.

“Hey, Jisung. Are you listening?” Jeno’s voice makes him turn to his direction once again and Jisung thinks the hurt he is feeling must be somehow visible on his face, because Jeno follows his gaze almost immediately. The understanding in his eyes is enough for Jisung to know Jeno has seen it as well.

The rest of the theatre crew is more dense and only realizes what is going on when Donghyuck shows up at the drama club lunch one day, joining them for the first time ever. He sits beside Jaemin and drops his basketball team jacket over his shoulders, nonchalantly, which is all it takes for people to finally notice something is going on. That same lunch is agonizing, with Chenle, Renjun and Sungchan’s gazes fixed on him the whole time, checking for his reaction, to see how he is dealing with it. At least Jeno is beside him and does his absolute best to distract him from it all, cracking the most awful dad jokes he has ever heard, some so ridiculous they actually manage to get a laugh out of him. They are not the most helpful, but Jisung appreciates the effort, nonetheless.

While bad jokes may not be the best way to go – not being really effective at getting things out of Jisung’s mind – visits to the pin shop definitely are and Jeno rapidly understands that.

“You’re back.” Kevin welcomes them warmly when he and Jeno enter the shop and he narrows his eyes at Jisung, a finger pointing in his direction as if he’s trying to recall his name. “Ji...Jisung, right?”

“Yes.” He confirms with a smile. “You’re Kevin, if I remember correctly.”

"That 's me.” Kevin says and gestures to the random section of pins that had called for Jisung the last time he came. “This section is still here as promised, though some new pins were added. You wanna take a look?”

He nods without missing a heartbeat and Kevin is standing up and showing him the new ones in no time, Jeno coming behind him to see them as well. Kevin presents him with a set of three circular enamel pins first, each with a sandwich cartoon drawn in the center and a few words written below it. On the first one there is: **_I am a sandwich_** , the second one has: **_You’re a sandwich_** and finally on the last one it can be read: **_Everything’s a sandwich_**. Jisung instantly grabs them, laughing humorously. They’re so random, but while looking at them he can’t help but imagine how cool it would be if he bought the three of them and kept one, giving the other two to Chenle and Renjun. It’s the thought of Renjun throwing it away, the moment he sees it, that makes him return the set to its rightful place, although reluctantly. The next one Kevin shows him is a pinkish-red pin-back button saying: **_I feel as useless as the ‘p’ in raspberry_** and as Jisung examines it in his hand, he has no doubts this one will go onto his collection.

“I want this one.”

“It’s a good one, isn’t it?” Kevin says with a satisfied grin and turns to Jeno. “Thanks to you I have finally encountered someone with my weird sense of humor. Why didn’t you bring him earlier?”

Jisung also turns to him with a raised eyebrow and his arms crossed over his chest, looking at him expectantly and Jeno scoffs.

“I didn’t know you liked pins.” He defends himself.

“Jeno my bag is literally covered in them, what do you mean you didn’t know?” Jisung deadpans.

“I never paid attention to it.” Jeno shoots back and diverts his eyes to the floor, his voice turning into a whisper, his next words too faint for Jisung to hear. “I was busy looking at something else.”

“Huh?”

He startles, wide eyes meeting Jisung and he laughs awkwardly, gesticulating for him to forget it. “Nothing.” He angles his head toward the pins in front of Jisung. “You said that I had to buy you one to compensate you for not having told about the shop sooner. Go ahead and choose one. I’ll pay for it.”

As Jeno turns his back on them and walks to the other side of the shop, saying he wants to see Kevin’s collection of cat pins, Kevin stays beside Jisung and shows him his _precious jewels_.

 ** _Seals are just dog mermaids_** , **_Make s’mores not wars_** (with a white squishy cat in the place of the marshmallow), ** _I used to have a handle on life, but it broke_** are just some of them and Jisung cannot stop laughing, being it because of the sayings, the design or due to the terrible colour and font choices.

At some point Kevin’s phone starts ringing and he goes to take the call outside. Jisung decides to join Jeno in the meantime, curious to see what type of pins he usually buys for himself.

As he approaches him, Jeno is carefully examining a small box full of cat pins, a few of them already secured in his hand. When he comes close enough, Jisung places his chin on his shoulder and overlooks the contents in the box. Jeno tenses for a millisecond, probably not expecting him.

“So, you’re a cat person.”

“Yeah. I have three cats back at home.” Jeno tells him as he picks another pin from the box. It’s a cat seen from the back and Jisung notices it's similar to another one Jeno is already holding, the colour being the only thing differing. He cranes his neck to look at him and raises the pin in his hand to Jisung’s eyes. “Can you help me search for another one like this?”

“Sure.” Jeno steps aside, giving Jisung some space and they both begin rummaging through the box.

Jisung is serious about finding the pin at the beginning, but with the variety of them in front of him, he is bound to get distracted and pick any pin that sparks his attention.

“Oh my god, Jeno. Look at this one.” He holds out a pin-button saying: **_You've cat to be kitten me right meow._**

Jeno throws it a quick glance and shakes his head, revolving to his hunt for the missing pin of his cat set. The action is condescending but there is a small grin tugging at his lips that leads to Jisung pocketing the pin, which joins the other two he is thinking of buying.

“What is it with you and being drawn to those types of pins?”

Jisung shrugs. “I don't know. Silly things are fun. There's a certain charm in the absurd, in things that don't seem to make sense to anyone else.”

“Do they make sense to you?” Jeno peers at him curiously and Jisung tilts his head to the side, thinking.

“Not exactly. But I think that’s the fun of them. With things that seemingly don’t make sense, you are free to make your own interpretation of what they might mean. They can be metaphors for things you’re feeling, for things you believe in, for problems of the world. Or they can remain as what they are - silly things. Life gets too serious sometimes. People sometimes try too hard to understand everything, to find logical reasons behind other people’s choices and look for justifications for someone else’s actions. But there are things we simply cannot understand, things we cannot make sense of and there is no benefit in dwelling on them for longer than we need to.” Jisung twirls a pin between his fingers, absentmindedly. “Absurd pins are meant to make no sense, to remind people there will always be something in their lives they will not be able to sort out, no matter how hard they try. And to show that that’s okay.”

Jeno has stopped looking through the box, his hand frozen in mid-air as he stares at him and Jisung identifies the same emotion in his eyes as the one he had on the night of the game when they came outside to have some fresh air. Jisung still has some trouble placing it and right before he thinks he recognizes it, Jeno looks back to the pin box and continues his search.

“You always surprise me when you go all philosophical on me.”

Jisung laughs. “I guess it doesn’t really fit my casual look, does it?”

“It is unexpected, I must say, but the more I get to know you, the more I think it fits you. It adds a great contrast.” Jeno admits with a sweet smile and Jisung doesn’t really know how to respond, so he pretends to examine closely the pin he has been fidgeting with. Jeno ends up continuing. “Although, for someone that bears so many deep thoughts, shouldn’t you be collecting pins with inspirational quotes or philosophical sayings instead?”

Jisung grimaces, shuddering at the thought. “God, no. Those quotes are so cliché. I could never see myself owning anything like **_Enjoy life’s little pleasures_** or **_No one is you and that is your power_**.”

“Why? What is wrong with that?” Jeno eyes him intriguingly.

“It’s not that there is something wrong, but it’s so corny. I get chills just thinking about it.”

Jeno is smiling at him incredudly, not believing what he is hearing. “So having a pin that is actually a good reminder and lifts you up is corny but having ones with awful puns is acceptable.”

“Pins are supposed to be cool and show part of who you are, what community you belong to.” Jisung raises the cat pin in his hand which says: **_Cats > People_**. “For example this pin clearly shows you are a cat person.” He then reaches for a box lying a few centimeters away from the one they have been delving into and pulls another pin, this time saying: **_Please let me pet your dog_**. “If you have this pin you must be a dog person, or you just really like petting them.”

Jeno joins in on the fun and turns around, taking a pin from the planet section. A circular dark blue enamel pin with a lighter blue strip in which one could read: **_Pluto - never forget_**. “Then, I can infer whoever buys this pin loves space and is part of the Pluto lover’s club.”

“That’s right.” Jisung nods enthusiastically and proceeds to take another one from that same section, this time reading: **_Just visiting this planet_**. “In case you meet anyone with this pin you gotta be careful, ‘cause they are obviously telling you they are aliens.”

At the last one, they burst out laughing and their little game continues, both of them filling the small shop with giggles and chuckles as they go along the different shelves, choosing random pins and coming up with funny connections, along with ridiculous stories. Until Jisung spots an old and yellowish box, worn out by time labeled _Theatre_ and the game is forgotten.

“Hey Jeno, come look at this. Kevin has theatre pins as well.” Jisung calls as he opens the box, to see that most of the pins are related to well-known theatre productions he does not recognize. Jeno, however, excitedly points at some of them, being familiar with the quotes.

“Wouldn’t it be cool if the theatre club had an official pin?” Jisung thinks out loud as the idea pops in his head.

“That would be nice but I think we would be the only ones using it.” Jeno points out with a chuckle.

“Not necessarily. Mark and Renjun have pins on their bags.” Jisung reminds him and Jeno makes a dismissive gesture.

“That’s only because they would be always switching bags if they didn’t have them. For them, those pins have a purpose. Adding another one no longer brings them any value.”

“It would be so cool if the theatre kids could distinguish themselves like that, though.” Jisung says and Jeno snorts.

“You think we are difficult to identify as it is?”

Jisung thinks back to his high school theatre club and how he could fairly easily tell its members apart from how distinct they were from the whole school. With the college drama club, though, it feels different. There isn’t such a defined line between clubs and those who are part of them, which isn’t exactly a bad thing in Jisung’s eyes. “You know what? I had an idea in high-school of theatre kids being this weird group of people that I could not understand. I thought they lived and breathed theatre and talked about it 24/7. In my head that was all they were – theatre kids who liked theatre. They were one dimensional. Now that I am part of the club and have talked to so many people, it both fits the idea I had and it’s the polar opposite of it.”

Jeno’s interest is spiked and he unintentionally moves closer to Jisung. “Really? How so?”

“It’s true that they like theatre very much, be it watching plays or performing them, but I’ve learned that theatre is not their sole interest and some of them are just regular college kids that happen to enjoy theatre as well. So like, you can't instantly tell who is part of the club and who isn't, you know? I think back in high school everyone strived to belong somewhere and almost let themselves be defined by the clubs they were part of. But in college, clubs are an extension of you, a part of the vast range of interests you have and there is some freedom and overall chilliness about it. People no longer care so much for being different and creating stupid divisions in society.”

Jisung continues his rambling, barely noticing he is doing it. “Which is pretty great, but having something that showed which club we were on would be a nice touch don't you think? It's barely noticeable anyway.”

“Yeah, I get that. And it’s pretty on brand with your purpose of pins.” Jeno nods in agreement. “Though I have to ask...what would it look like?”

Jisung ponders for a moment. “I think red would be a great colour for it and if whatever was written on it could have a little sprinkle of humor, that would be perfect. I’m not exactly a pin designer so I would gladly let anyone else do the creative design.”

Jeno is pensive for a short while and Jisung puts the box down, a pin calling his attention from a nearby collection. Jisung snorts as he sees what it says and holds it up for Jeno to see. “Jeno, isn’t this one perfect for Mark?”

Jeno snaps out of whatever he is thinking deeply about and reads it out loud. “ ** _Careful! You may end up in my novel_**.” A wide smile breaks on his face as he grabs it. “Where did you find that? This is totally made for him. We have to get it.”

“Weren’t you just saying a while ago that Renjun and Mark don’t see utility in more pins other than the ones they already own?” Jisung questions with an eyebrow raised.

“I did, but this is an exception. Mark will love this one.” Jeno animatedly secures it in his left hand where he is keeping the ones he wants to buy. Then he glances at Jisung. “Have you chosen the ones you want to take? Or do you wanna go around the shop a second time?”

Jisung’s hand flies to his pocket, feeling the pins he has set aside. Happy with the amount, he starts walking toward the counter. “I think I have enough for today.” After he deposits his pins on top of it he turns to Jeno with a cheeky grin. “Don’t forget you’re paying me one!”

Jeno sighs as he copies him while Kevin returns to his seat behind the counter. “How could I forget, when you keep mentioning it any chance you get?”

It’s when they are walking back to campus that Jisung rummages inside his bag and pulls out the **_You've cat to be kitten me right meow_** pin, extending it to Jeno, who looks at it confusedly.

“Take it.” Jisung waves it in the air in front of him and Jeno gently accepts it.

“Why are you giving me this?”

“It’s to thank you for bringing me here today. I was feeling a little down after having ran into Jaemin and Donghyuck yesterday during their date, so,” Jisung gives Jeno a small smile. “thank you for noticing. These visits to the pin shop help me way more than you can imagine.”

“It’s really nothing.” Jeno smiles at him and puts the pin in the pocket of his denim jacket. “And if these visits help you that much, what about we make it a weekly thing?”

Jisung’s eyes glimmer as he looks at Jeno, his lips stretching into a wider grin. “Are you serious?”

“Why not? They help you get your mind off things and Kevin loves having you around so he can gush about the new weird pins he receives. Everyone wins.”

“What about you though? What do you win with it?”

Jeno doesn’t respond immediately. He takes a good look at Jisung first and with the orange hues of the sunset painting the sky behind Jeno and the remaining golden rays of sun shining on his dark hair, Jisung realizes just how beautiful he is. Especially when he beams at him as he answers,

“Seeing you happy.”

❣

The following two weeks are pure hell. Jisung is drowning in assignments and projects, fighting against time as deadlines close in. The visits to the pin shop with Jeno are the only thing that helps him get through the insane amounts of pressure and stress. With them, he has at least one hour where he can free his mind of his full schedule and endless list of things to do and relax, even if it is only for a short time.

The subsequent week, although not so academically packed, is also referred by everyone in the drama club as hell week since they begin tech rehearsals where they finally add everything together: costumes, hairstyles, makeup, lighting, sound and act it all out from start to finish in chronological order like in the day of the premiere.

Likewise, rehearsals are interminable, dragging into the night and by the end of them everyone is too tired to keep their eyes open. Besides that, they are also chaotic, with a lot of things being adjusted and changed after realizing certain things aren't working. All these alterations create various mishaps, a particular one being quite serious.

Contrarily to his usual spot in the lightning booth, Jeno comes down to the stage that day. Renjun, Yuna and the rest of the crew in charge of the sets are all around one of the set walls of the house, trying to rotate it as per Doyoung’s request, so it is less visible from the audience, thus making the stage look wider. Jisung is standing near them, helping Yukhei with some of the props and Jeno is only a few meters away, giving Kunhang – who is on the catwalk – directions of which light they have to change, since it has randomly stopped working.

Looking back, it hadn't exactly been unexpected. With the panicked rise of the stagehand's voices, the cries for help and the distraught and wavering tones with which they started asking everyone to stop as soon as they noticed the wall starting to lean more toward one side, it was clear something was wrong. If only Jisung had been more alert and acted faster, the whole situation could have been avoided.

At the time, however, Jisung thought they were bickering, arguing with each other about timing and the best way to hold the wall, so that they could move it quickly and safely. It had happened before so Jisung didn’t give it more importance than any of the other times, getting closer to the wall as he wanted to pick up the pillow he had accidentally dropped when he was decorating the sofa. He has a clear image of the moment he bends down to pick it up but after that, everything happens too fast for him to assimilate what is unfolding in front of his eyes.

As his hand grasps the soft material of the pillow, a choir of screams sound right next to him. Before he can raise his head to see what is happening, he feels a strong pair of hands pushing him to the side, forcefully. He hits the wooden floor harshly, scraping his elbow against the rough surface and that is when the deafening sound of something massive and heavy colliding with the floor reaches his ears, sending chills down his spine. Time stills around him as he whirls his head in the direction of the sound and his breath hitches in his throat at the sight he is presented with.

A few meters away from him is Jeno, his face contorted in pain as one of his legs got caught beneath the fallen set wall. It doesn’t take even half a second before Jisung is crawling to his side and helping the rest of the stagehand people lifting the wall. What happens next is a blur. Jisung remembers shouting for Taeyong and Doyoung and repeating to Jeno that everything is going to be fine, offering him a hand to hold, having him clasping it with a grip of steel. A million thoughts are running through his head, his ears ringing and it seems like everything around him is sounding distant, as if he is in the bottom of a well.

He never leaves Jeno’s side until they reach the infirmary, where Doyoung accompanies him inside, while Jisung waits impatiently outside with Mark and Renjun – who just like him – have insisted on coming. They take a seat on each side of Jisung as he lets himself fall on one of the plastic chairs right outside the infirmary, his legs too wobbly for him to keep standing. Renjun is saying something, answering one of Mark’s questions and Jisung hears his name being mentioned, but he is not listening, his mind starting to hurt as thoughts keep forming and forming at a frantic pace.

When he leans forward to support his elbows on his knees, holding his head in between his hands, he doesn’t even feel the burn in his right elbow caused by the friction of the wound against his jeans or sees the blood seeping through the fabric. He jumps to his feet the moment Doyoung and Jeno exit the infirmary a few minutes later, Doyoung announcing they have to go to the hospital. Jisung tries to convince the TA to take him with them, but he refuses, asking Mark to come instead as he is Jeno’s roommate and ordering him and Renjun to go back to the rehearsal.

As expected Taeyong has called off the rehearsal due everyone being pretty shaken up by the incident and not in the right state of mind to continue, and Jisung wants to curse at Doyoung for making him go back knowing there would be nothing to go back to. That night he can only sleep when Jeno texts him hours later, saying he has returned to campus.

**jeno:**

i’ve just arrived at the dorm.

they said the fracture in my foot wasn’t very serious and would rapidly heal if i take the necessary rest and don’t put it under much pressure.

so there’s no need to worry :)

what about you?

are you okay?

after the wall fell i didn’t even have time to check how you were.

**—:**

JENO!

oh my god, i was so worried about you!

i was so scared it had been something serious, you seemed to be in so much pain :(

i’m okay! thanks to you!

but Jeno, why would you just jump in front of a falling wall like that??

that was so dangerous!! please don't do anything like that ever again!!

**jeno:**

it would have fallen on top of you if i hadn’t done anything.

i couldn’t let that happen.

couldn’t let you get hurt.

**—:**

jeno :(

but you were the one getting hurt instead :(

**jeno:**

you being okay makes it worth it :)

i would do it all over again if it meant you wouldn’t get hurt

The stuttering his heart does at the message is something Jisung doesn’t give much thought to, dismissing it as worry. Instead he makes a promise to the stars that night. Because of the guilt he feels for being partly responsible for the incident, he promises he will help Jeno in anything he needs, be by his side and take care of him until he recovers.

And the following days, Jisung keeps his promise. He goes to his and Mark’s dorm to help him with his bags and studies his schedule so he knows which classes he has every day and where they are, so he can wait for him. He warns him about his limitations and scolds him when he tries to do more than he should. He follows him everywhere, not wanting to leave him alone, and when he cannot stay with him, he always makes sure Chenle, Kunhang, Yangyang or Mark are there for him, keeping him company until Jisung returns.

The more time Jisung spends with Jeno, the more he starts to understand the weird stuttering of his heart at things Jeno does or says is not something he can keep ignoring and discarding as not being important. There is a shift in the way he looks at Jeno now. The way he sees him. Jisung doesn’t know when it starts, but it is there and it does not seem to be something that will easily go away.

Any smile directed at him has now become dangerous to his heart. Every touch can be capable of burning Jisung’s skin. His mind begins overthinking just about anything coming out of Jeno’s mouth and Jisung can’t help but compare it to the way he felt about Jaemin. It 's different. Completely and utterly different. But still close enough for him to recognize what it is, what it means.

It doesn’t take long for him to acknowledge his motivations to keep helping Jeno and staying by his side have changed, and by the teasing winks and knowing smirks his friends have started sending his way, he can tell they know it too.

These _feelings_ he is now dealing with are making him do things he had never done before, being one of them wanting to cook Jeno a meal. When he shares it with Renjun and Chenle they tell him to forget about it right away and he has to sit through them calling him a human disaster yet again and listen to how little faith they have in him. Sungchan, on the other hand, is a far better and more useful friend, who reminds him of the pending cooking class Jaemin agreed to give him back when he taught him the lemon cake recipe. Jisung calls Jaemin then, asking him for help and Jaemin, as the angel he is, agrees to have him come over the next day, to teach him some easy and delicious dishes he can replicate to Jeno.

The experience has nothing to do with the last time Jisung had asked for a cooking lesson. He is super focused this time, taking in everything Jaemin says without getting distracted by his face and he goes as far as asking about how things are going with Donghyuck. It’s when he listens to Jaemin happily talking about his boyfriend without feeling any kind of jealousy or tug at his heart, that he realizes, contentedly, he does not have any more lingering feelings toward him. The food turns out pretty good and Jisung tries it again on his own when Jeno is alone in his dorm, Mark having left for a late afternoon class.

“Since when do you know how to cook?” Jeno asks, surprised, as he enters the kitchen upon the delicious smell of homemade food having reached his nostrils.

“Jaemin taught me how to do it a few days ago.” Jisung replies as he places a plate of food in front of Jeno’s seat and helps him, propping his almost healed foot on top of a chair. Jeno grumbles he doesn’t need to do it anymore as he will be finally taking off the cast the following day, but complies with it anyway.

“Jaemin? You hung out with him?” Jeno raises an eyebrow at him and Jisung nods. “You didn’t tell me you were seeing him.” He adds and Jisung can’t stop a grin from appearing on his face at the tiny hint of jealousy in Jeno’s tone.

“I didn’t because I wanted to surprise you.” He declares and motions for Jeno to pick his tableware and dig in, wanting him to tell him how he did. Jisung pretends to be offended at Jeno’s incredulity at how good the food tastes, but he knows he hasn’t been successful when he catches himself smiling like a fool at the boy sitting in front of him.

Without the cast and with Jeno being able to freely walk again, there is nothing much that changes in their routines. Jisung keeps showing up at his dorm in the morning to walk him to his classes, with the excuse of the action being too engraved in his system to just stop doing it all of a sudden. To Jisung’s relief, they remain as close as they had become after Jeno’s injury, and resume his so loved visits to the pin shop, Kevin saying how much he missed them both.

Their semester continues, and as their last theatre rehearsal approaches Jisung notices a shift in Jeno’s behaviour. He has become more secretive and even though Jisung knows Jeno isn’t obliged to tell him everything and has his rights to not want to share things with him, Jisung can’t help but feel a little insecure. His overthinking mind is the one to blame, as the image of him accidentally disclosing Sungchan's crush comes flashing in his head again and again. Such a slippery mouth is probably the reason Jeno wants to keep his secrets from him and Jisung makes a mental note to work more on his self control in the future and learn how to filter his words before speaking. To make it even worse, it seems like all of his friends know that something is going on and are purposely hiding it from him as well.

It’s on the day of the last rehearsal that the curtain falls, revealing what it is that everyone has been trying so hard to hide from him. They are all celebrating the successful rehearsal they just did and how everything befell smoothly and without any mistakes happening, when Jeno and Chenle disappear for a few moments, reentering the auditorium minutes later with a box. They begin distributing something to each club member and Jisung gets more and more curious to see what it is by watching other people's positive reactions. When they get close enough for Jisung to peer at the contents of the box his hands fly to his mouth, his eyes opened in disbelief. Inside it there are small red enamel pins with the words **_People’s Republic of Theatre Dorks_** engraved in them at the front and the name of their university at the back.

“Here it is the theatre club pin you mentioned.” Jeno says with a bright smile as he hands him one. There is a slight tremble in Jisung's hands when he grasps it. “I tried to comply with your requirements, though you gave me a bit of creative freedom. What do you think? Is it good?”

Jisung's usual frenetic mind is oddly quiet, no thought populating it as he stares at the pin, seemingly frozen on the outside, while on the inside he is scrambling for something to say, for a way of expressing what he is feeling. No matter how hard he tries, nothing comes to mind, and Jisung inevitably lifts his gaze, locking eyes with Jeno. Despite the dazzling smile on his face, capable of melting Jisung’s heart, there is a nervous sheen in his eyes that makes Jisung act completely out of character and throw himself in the other's arms.

“Is it good? It 's amazing! I can’t believe you did this.” He screeches as he pulls back enough to look at Jeno. “I am so happy I could kiss you right now!”

The words leave Jisung’s mouth before he can stop them, surprising not only him but Jeno, who is gaping at him like he just grew a second head. By the gasps echoing through the auditorium Jisung realizes he must have not controlled the volume of his voice as much as he thought he did and his cheeks burn in embarrassment. Until now, the thought of kissing Jeno had not crossed his mind. But as he notices their proximity and how close their faces are, his gaze dropping down to Jeno's lips without him meaning to, that thought is all that occupies his previously empty head.

It's remarkable how Jisung keeps himself upright as his legs turn into jelly at Jeno's weak response, “I wouldn’t be opposed.”

All eyes are on them and Jisung is not someone who likes to show affection in public by any means and would never kiss another person with such a big audience watching him, but his brain is not working properly. His body is moving on his own and the next thing he knows, Jeno’s lips are pressed against his own and the auditorium is cheering like crazy. It’s just a simple peck, Jisung wouldn’t allow himself anything more in front of so many people, but when he pulls back Jeno is beaming at him, his eyes turning into crescent moons just like they did on the first time they met.

“I feel like we skipped a step.” He chuckles as he places a hand on Jisung’s waist and gently brings him closer.

Jisung tilts his head to the side in an inquisitive manner. “Which one?”

“The confessions.”

Jisung lets his head fall on Jeno’s shoulder as he wraps his hands around his neck. “Do we really need them?”

“Well, I meant to confess today, after showing you the pins.” Jeno admits softly as he hugs him close.

“Did you really? Oh, I’m sorry I ruined it.” Jisung lifts his head, a pout on his lips.

“You probably saved yourself from having to hear a very cliché confession. I prepared a whole speech in my head and was going to tell you about when I first realized my feelings for you and now that I am thinking about it, I’m glad we just skipped it.”

“Oh? Now, I’m curious, when did you start liking me?”

“When I first took you and Chenle to the pin shop.” Jeno says right away, the answer on the tip of his tongue. “But I guess my feelings grew a lot stronger after the night of the basketball game.” He then begins drawing little circles on Jisung’s lower back. “What about you? When did I come into the picture?”

“This will sound so cliché and I hate you for doing cliché things like that, but, it was the moment you took the role of superhero and saved me from the falling wall. It took me a while to sort out my feelings but I guess that was what made me look at you in a different light.” Jisung lowers his head again and hides his face on the crook of Jeno's neck, feeling shy after his gaze crossed with Jaemin and the latter winked at him.

“I’m sorry, by the way.”

“For what?” He can hear the confusion in Jeno's voice.

“My heart. It was so busy knocking at the wrong door, it did not realize another one had already opened itself for it.”

Jeno peels one of his hands off Jisung's waist to trail his fingers tenderly through Jisung's hair. “There is nothing you need to apologize for. You were worth waiting for.”

**Author's Note:**

> prompt #059. 
> 
> Hi!!  
> All of the pins I mention throughout the fic are based on pictures I found on pinterest and are not a product of my own imagination. The only exception are the sandwich pins and the 'I feel as useless as the 'p' in raspberry' which are things the lovely member of The Boyz, Kevin, actually said during his vlives ahahah.  
> I apologize if the ending feels a little rushed, but if you've made it this far, thank you so much and please consider leaving kudos or comments if you liked it. They are always deeply appreciated!


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